


DMC Devil May Cry - Tate's Story

by Kai_Smol_Trashlord



Category: DmC: Devil May Cry
Genre: Cussing, Demons, F/M, Nephilim, No sex I promise, OC, Sons of Sparda, Vergil is very OOC oops, Violence, mostly follows canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2016-04-27
Packaged: 2018-06-02 15:02:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 38,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6570784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kai_Smol_Trashlord/pseuds/Kai_Smol_Trashlord
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if there were four heroes and not three? What if Vergil and Kat weren't the only ones helping Dante bring freedom to mankind? </p><p>Or </p><p>The one where the author adds in an OC and uses the butterfly effect as an excuse when we all know how this will probably turn out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Maybe it was too much to ask that the plan go smoothly. After all, tracking down the son of Sparda had been hard enough but trying to find him and pinpoint his location without him knowing? Now that was a challenge. However, the Order had just about managed it and now the plan was coming close to fruition. They just had to make sure that the devil hunter actually joined them. Their leader seemed to be under the impression that he'd join them but Kat wasn't so sure and neither was Tate. However, there was no point trying to go back now that they'd tracked him down to his trailer. His run down, cheap looking trailer that stunk of booze, pizza and body odour. He'd brought some whores back there the previous night but it was clear that they were long gone. Whether he'd killed them or they'd gone of their own accord was a mystery but that wasn't what was important. No, what was important right now was that they got Dante on their side. The plan heavily relied on him agreeing to fight against Mundus with the Order.

"Are you sure this is gonna work? Tate asked Kat, doubting the plan. Kat didn't look too confident either but she didn't voice her concern. Just put a finger to her lips and started rapping her fist against the door. Tate stood away from her dark haired, hooded counterpart. Let her deal with this shit.

"Dante! Get out of there, you're in danger!" she exclaimed as she banged against the door. Tate folded her arms and sighed, her annoyance soon turning to complete and utter embarrassment when the trailer door swung open to reveal a very naked, brunet nephilim who looked exactly like their leader. Well, bar from the hair of course. That was the main difference between the two of them; the hair colour. Dante shielded his eyes from the sunlight as he stared down at the two girls. Tate kept her gaze trained on the brunet's face the whole time, uncomfortable with the situation. Kat, on the other hand, seemed unfazed by the sight before her. Maybe because she knew that he'd be in this state of undress. She was a psychic medium after all so maybe she sensed it.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Dante questioned nonchalantly, lowering his arm as his eyes readjusted to the harsh morning sun.

"You were careless," Kat chastised him, "you left a trail. Now he's onto you." She made small gesticulations with her hands as she spoke, Tate remaining quiet the whole time. Dante spared her a brief glance before questioning her dark haired counterpart once more.

"What are you talking about? Who's onto me?"

Kat glanced around nervously and Tate decided that it was time to step in. Hurry things along a little so to speak. This was taking too much time and that was in short supply where their plan was concerned.

"A hunter demon," she informed him. Kat gasped and glanced behind her, hearing something that Tate couldn't. She looked panicked and afraid. Shit. That meant-

"He's here."

Great. Lovely. Wonderful. Now they had to try and help Dante through Limbo and get rid of the hunter demon. It was typical that shit like this would happen when they really didn't need these sorts of distractions. Tate cursed lady luck and her habit of shitting on them when they needed good fortune the most.

"He's dragging you into Limbo," Kat stated to Dante, who was slowly fading into nothing as he was taken into Limbo by the hunter demon.

"Shit. I'm gonna go get help. Vir-" Tate started but was interrupted by Kat. Rude.

"It's too late, you're gonna have to fight your way out," she said to Dante, who was now presumably in Limbo. Tate flicked her dirty blonde fringe out of her face and flicked her plaits over her shoulders. She glanced around and immediately spotted a quick way to get to the fairground. It was likely where the demon would drag Dante so she began to jog in that direction. It also meant she'd be able to update Vergil on the situation at hand.

Hearing a loud clunk and crunch, she stopped and turned around to see that Dantes trailer now had a massive dent in it. Kat moved out of the way as it suddenly went flying through the air. The blonde made the conscious decision to go on ahead on her own and dug her phone out of her pocket. She quickly dialled in Vergil's number and texted him to tell him that Dante was back in Limbo again. She vaguely heard Kat beckoning the brunet to follow them and heard her jogging to keep up. She felt the ground move beneath her and sped up her running, grabbing Kat's hand so she wouldn't be left behind as they sped away from the floor being ripped apart. Kat quickly tore away, however, and urged Tate to keep going. Well, she wasn't going to disobey. She kept moving and hid near a hall of mirrors as she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

[V]: Get him out soon. We need him to proceed -V-

They were already onto that. Still, it was nice to get some feedback from him. Tate wasn't sure how far ahead she was now but she kept on going until she reached a more open space near a large Ferris wheel. She glanced around, waiting to catch sight of Kat, and jumped when it suddenly span faster. The blonde took a step back as she spun round and saw that it was going at an alarming rate. All of a sudden, the contraption broke and the wheel started to roll towards her.

"Holy shit!" she yelled in terror and lunged out of the way. It missed her by a mere couple of centimetres and her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest from how close she'd just gotten to getting crushed to death. She wanted to see the Order's plans through to the last stand and all of that had almost completely ended because of the Ferris wheel. Tate wasn't dumb; she knew it must have been the hunter demon trying to dispose of Dante. Well, at least the brunet was still alive. That was a good thing in her eyes. Unfortunately, the bad part was that the Ferris wheel was now rolling through the fairground and down the street, crushing anything in its way. Thank god no civilians were getting hurt here.

After what felt like a long time, Tate saw Kat. She quickly joined her brunette companion and placed a hand on her shoulder. She seemed a little shaken up but otherwise she was her calm, logical self. There was something about Kat that had always put Tate at unease but she'd always put it down to the fact that she was able to phase in and out of Limbo as she pleased. It was somewhat disconcerting and she worried about her friend's wellbeing but it wasn't like she could voice her concerns to Vergil. He'd either brush it off or he'd worry far too much. This wasn't something that either of those reactions should be applied to so the blonde always kept it to herself in the hopes that everything would turn out fine in the end. Maybe it would and she was just being stupidly paranoid about it all.

Dante must have reappeared because Kat suddenly jogged away. Tate followed and tuned into the conversation. Maybe if she was nearby it would seem like the brunette wasnt crazy and nobody would get suspicious. Their target must have been asking why his bullets had no effect on the hunter demon because the brunette explained it to him and then jogged off again. Sighing, Tate followed. She was getting tired of all this running around now. When all of this was over, she was going to live the rest of her life on a sofa with a good ol' bag of chips and some crap entertainment on TV. Maybe it was mundane and normal but she wanted that normality after living so long helping the Order try to bring down Mundus from his throne. Maybe she could settle down too; find a boring and mediocre guy that worked at a dead-end job and have a couple of kids with him. Live in a small house and find a way to survive in the coming economical crisis that was bound to occur at some point. It was a highly boring and ordinary dream to have but it was one that the blonde held dearly and was desperate to attain some day in the future.

The blonde followed Kat as she continued at a steady pace towards what Tate sensed was a rift. She was no psychic but the brunette had taught her how to sense where rifts were that could take you to and from Limbo. Kat could go there whenever she wanted whereas Tate refused to be pulled into Limbo. She'd seen the horror and destruction there and she'd give anything to unsee it. Maybe that was why they both got along so well; they'd witnessed and experienced things that they wished they had never experienced and wanted to wipe from their minds completely.

Both of them stopped as they got to the exit, Kat clearly sensing that something must have happened in Limbo to stop Dante from getting through the rift. Goddamn hunter demon ruining their plans. Sure, their plan had played out as a rocky ride but Tate liked to think it had gone better than expected up until this point. She watched as Kat lit up a bottle of some sort of liquid, taking a run before throwing it. It must have done the trip because it exploded in mid-air.

"It's working, you can fight him now. It won't be easy. Hunters are brutal fighters," the brunette told Dante. Well, no shit, Kat! They were hunter demons for a reason, and not because they were cuddly little things. Nope, they were fucking monsters. All of the demons that tried to manipulate, control and hurt mankind were monsters. There were some, like Vergil, who had good and humanity within them but hunter demons were not a part of that very small group.

Suddenly, Tate remembered something and nudged Kat. It was as if her friend read her mind.

"Dante, can you still hear me? Attack its face!" she called to the brunet in Limbo. The blonde had no idea what reply they got but Kat seemed satisfied so she held her tongue. They waited it out until, eventually, Dante reappeared in the human world. Ah, good, he beat the hunter demon. And he was back where he needed to be now so Vergil would be happy. Well, hopefully he would. Tate didn't know if he'd be annoyed that the plan didn't go exactly the way he'd wanted it to but at least the main point of it had been successful for the most part. Now, they just needed to get Dante to come with them to the headquarters to meet Vergil. That was when their leader would recruit him and they'd bring Mundus down. Humanity would be free from his kingdom of enslavement.

Looking around at all the destruction, Tate sighed. That was going to take a lot of repairing. She didn't envy the people who had to clear the rubble and rebuild this place. Humanity was always constantly being controlled and contorted by the masses, taking advantage of the weak to get whatever the hell they wanted from society. That was all the world was; a waste of space in which those who weren't at the top of the pyramid were viewed as weaklings to be controlled and manipulated into doing all the work whilst aristocrats and assholes like Bob Barbas got to live the high life. Assholes, the lot of them.

"He's gone. We'll wait a little while and then go pick him up," Kat informed her. Tate quirked an eyebrow, clearly unamused.

"Uh, no. You're going to go pick him up and I'm going home. I'm tired and I haven't slept in three days. Vergil said that I could have some rest as soon as I get back from playing my part in the plan. I did that and stayed longer than intended," she argued. The brunette shook her head with a small smile.

"I promise you can have a nap in the back of the car, alright? And then you can have a proper rest when we get back." Tate huffed. She didn't like sleeping in cars but hey, now wasn't the time to be fussy about where she slept. Besides, if she slept now she'd be ready to get on with the next step of their scheme to get rid of the demon king once and for all.

"Fine. But if he disturbs me, I'm going to kill him. I don't care how important he is to the plan. I'm tired," she sighed. Kat beamed and nodded before leading Tate back to her car. The blonde got into the back and lay on the floor, covering herself completely with the blankets so the cops wouldn't pull them over and give them a fine for her not wearing a seatbelt or being sat up.

Tate settled down on the floor and did as Kat had instructed her to. Kat drove slowly, much to her approval, and only stopped when she presumably saw Dante.

"Are you okay, Dante?" Oh, what a lucky guess. Then again, they did need to pick him up and take him back to headquarters anyway so it wasn't really that much of a surprise or a lucky guess.

"How do you know my name?" the brunet questioned emotionlessly. Kat didn't hesitate to reply, of course.

"My boss knows you. He wants to meet. Please. I helped you back there."

"I didn't ask for your help," Dante replied coldly. The car shifted slightly, Tate assuming that their target was likely leaning on the car or something of the like. All was silent for a minute or so. There was nothing, and for a moment Tate thought Dante had gone, until she heard the car door open and he climbed in. The car set off again for their destination soon after and the blonde found she was unable to sleep with Dante in the car. Fucking fuck. Now she couldn't even get any goddamn sleep in case it turned out the brunet was one of the bad guys and needed to be disposed of.

"We know all about you, Dante," Kat spoke as Tate moved to sit in one of the seats. "I'm with an organisation called the Order. Heard of it?"

"Something to do with that masked freak on the net?"

"That's my boss."

Oops. Kinda awkward there, especially considering how Dante and Vergil were so closely interlinked. Both in terms of DNA and their fates. Tate wasn't sure how, but she knew that they both had a very important role to play in each other's lives over the coming days and it was vital that Dante joined forces with the Order.

"Wonderful. Can't wait," Dante said. Tate could sense how sarcastic he was being and couldn't help but smirk slightly at it. Maybe having Dante tag along wasn't such a bad thing after all.


	2. Chapter 2

Night came, and with the night came the darkness as the car drove through the gates. Tate glanced out of the window at her all too familiar surroundings and at the warehouse that stood before them. Home shit home, as her dad used to say. She wondered where he was now and whether he was even alive at this point. She'd left him behind a year or so ago when her dad had lost his job and turned to drinking. Her mother had already left at this point, fleeing the country to be with another man. She'd seemed happy when she left; as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. What was it like to feel that kind of freedom? Did it feel good?

"Welcome to the Order," Kat spoke to Dante as the three of them approached the garage door they had to duck under in order to get to the headquarters. It was run down, rust and graffiti decorating the metallic doors. It was located in a less populated area of the town so there weren't as many civilians that could stumble upon their hideout. It gave the blonde a sense of security and privacy. She thought it was amusing how they were working against Mundus right under his nose in the very city that he had control over.

"Not what I was expecting," Dante commented. Tate merely rolled her eyes and surveyed their surroundings to make sure no-one was near to see them going in.

"That's the idea," Kat retorted, leading them under the garage door and towards the wall they'd have to go through. If she wanted to, Tate could have gone ahead without them and gone to bed but she wanted to see how things were about to pan out between Dante and Vergil.

"The demons are among us Dante, they are enslaving mankind," the blonde added to the conversation. The devil hunter turned to her and gave her a slight smile. Was he being friendly? He didn't seem like the sociable, friendly type of guy. He was just being polite then.

"The world is asleep," Kat continued, "brainwashed and helpless. We're fighting back." She typed the coding into the number pad that stuck out of the wall, a security scanner analysing her eye to make sure that it was in fact her. The wall parted and the two followed her inside. Tate didn't need to look up to know that the security cameras were now trained on them, specifically on Dante. What would happen if the brunet were to strike and attack them now? For all they knew, he could have been one of the minions of Mundus and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike them down.

"We are a small handful of freedom fighters. We are the last and only line of defence," Kat explained, only for Dante to snort arrogantly. Tate could understand why. After all, they were a small number of people and human. How could humans stand up against beings as powerful and mighty as demons such as Mundus? He was a giant and they were small and insignificant. They didn't matter.

"Defence? You got no chance!"

"We don't leave things to chance, we've accumulated vast intelligence on the demons and their collaborators: world leaders, bankers, pop stars… We can hit them where it hurts." They were almost there now. Almost in the place where Dante and Vergil would be reunited. Would Dante remember him? Would he recognise him? This could all be a waste of time if he didn't and then decided he wanted no part in their scheme. Everything they'd worked and risked their lives for would be for nothing and they would never have the freedom that they deserved.

Finally, the trio arrived outside Vergil's requested meeting spot. The large doors automatically parted and they entered. Tate stayed a few paces behind them whilst Dante and Kat moved forward with confidence. Vergil waited patiently as he visually assessed the brunet male that now stood before him. Their similarities were uncanny other than the hair and clothing. They were most definitely twins, that much was clear as day. But would Dante see it that way or would he just freak out and kill their leader where he stood?

"Amazing…!"

Tate rubbed her arms as Kat took her place beside their leader. The blonde eventually joined them but sat down on the floor, still tired from earlier. She just wanted to go to sleep for a few hundred years. Yeah, that sounded like a really good idea. Go to sleep until all of this was over and then sleep some more. Maybe she could steal some decent pillows and blankets to ensure she slept for a while.

"Dante - it really is you!" Vergil spoke. Dante remained silent, shrugging apathetically. Ah, so this was how things were going to play out. Fun.

"Well then," she murmured to herself as she watched both men.

"You don't remember me?" the white-haired man questioned his brother. Dante shook his head.

"No."

Silence descended upon them. Well, this definitely wasn't awkward in any way, shape, or form. Tate glanced up at Vergil and saw his thoughtful expression. He didn't look hurt or confused. He'd probably anticipated that his brother would remember nothing of him.

"How much of your childhood do you remember?" the leader asked.

"Not much, I had meningitis when I was seven - wiped my memory - why?" was Dante's almost instant answer. Tate didn't need to do any thinking to know that Dante had been lied to. But he hadn't figured it out? Bullcrap. He knew that something wasn't right about what he was told; he was just denying it.

"They told me I had a car accident that resulted in total amnesia. Age: seven," Virgil scoffed. The brunet was silent and nonchalant. Was he not putting the two pieces together? Then again, it was a bit of a leap to go from what could be seen as a coincidence to a conspiracy in which he had a twin brother and a family he didn't know of but he'd forgotten them due to a memory wipe.

"Your point?" the devil hunter asked. The white-haired man approached his brother, explaining the situation to him.

"Meningitis is a human affliction. You are not human, Dante. All war is fought with deception and you have been deceived. Your past is hidden from you for a reason." Dante looked more than a little annoyed and impatient by this point and Tate grew weary. He could attack their leader right now if he wanted to and it would be game over for them all.

"Rewind a bit - who are you again?" Dante sneered. Vergil, on the other hand, was the embodiment of calm and calculated.

It took a few minutes, but Vergil explained everything to Dante about the Order and their goal. He eventually began attempting to persuade his brother to join them and that was when Tate chose to stand up. If Dante said no, then maybe she could convince him otherwise. She was no devil hunter or fighter but she had a few tricks up her sleeve that had helped her immensely whenever she had to fight against demons in the past. Kat tried to intervene in the situation but was quickly silenced by their leader holding up a single gloved hand. Dante was plainly refusing to help them but Vergil knew what to say and what to do to make him stay.

***

It had been a while since Tate had travelled to this place with Vergil. The morning sun cast light over their surroundings but it did nothing to warm up the cool winter air that bit at the skin on her face, neck and hands. She felt very grateful for the fact that all she ever wore was dark skinny jeans, a black and white hooded baseball jersey and black combat boots. It helped her to blend into the crowds somewhat whilst still being prepared to run if needs be.

Confident, their leader led them into the large house. It was abandoned, both inside and out, but even now it was easy to see that this place had been a good and safe home at some point. Tate could imagine a young Vergil and Dante running around, giggling and laughing as their parents watched with joy. The brunet looked a little reminiscent, as if maybe he recognised this place, whereas Vergil had a somewhat poignant vibe about him.

"This was your home," the white-haired man informed the devil hunter. Dante glanced around very briefly.

"I don't remember." Okay. Okay, they could work around this. Besides, that was why they'd brought him here. Once he learned the truth of why he really lost his memory and his family, he was bound to join the Order. How could he not when the chance for revenge was laid out right in front of him.

"You will. Kat, open the gate," their leader instructed Kat. She took a rolled up stencil and laid it out on the floor before retrieving her can of spray.

Whilst the two brunets spoke, Virgil approached Tate.

"Do you really think Dante will remember? I mean, I know he will but… what happens if he doesn't remember anything?" she whispered. Vergil placed a hand on her shoulder and offered a reassuring smile.

"He will. Trust me, Tate. He'll remember and join us and then we will all have our revenge on the demons, you included. You will be given the freedom that I promised for you. For us," he responded kindly. As quickly as he'd joined her, he left to go and speak with Kat and Dante once more. The blonde followed and twisted her fingers out of habit.

"Is the gate ready, Kat?" she asked her friend and the psychic nodded, lips curving upwards at the corners as if to show she appreciated that someone was acknowledging her involvement in this.

"Go ahead," Vergil encouraged his brother, "the house holds secrets. I've found mine. Now it's your turn."

"How will I get back?" Dante enquired.

"We'll take care of that. Just be careful, it can get rough in there," the white-haired man warned as the gate opened and the brunet prepared to be taken. He turned to Kat, smirking flirtatiously.

"I like it rough." Kat blushed slightly and looked away as the gate teleported Dante to Limbo. Well, now Tate had something to use against her in the future.

"Is this really going to work? He doesn't seem to care," Kat sighed at Vergil. Their leader gave a small shrug of the shoulders in response.

"He's raw. Just like you both were when I first found you."

An hour or so had passed, Tate wandering around the house alone. She liked having time to herself so that she could think and reflect upon things she had learned as well as what her future could hold. Her motivation for going after the demons with the order was to get revenge for the partner she had lost to them. They were only 16 when it happened but demons had, for whatever reason, torn her girlfriend limb from limb. The blonde had grieved for almost a year before she met Vergil. He'd helped her to channel her grief into anger and so her thirst for revenge had been born. It was him that she had to thank for giving her the will and motivation to go on. Bringing everyone freedom from the demons was something that provided her with not only a goal but something to think about. What would happen once they actually got freedom? Would the Order disband or would they stick together to find a new cause? Or what if they failed to bring Mundus to his knees? Would they remain enslaved by him and his lackies forever?

The blonde stopped in front of a large painting of a powerful looking man, the face torn off. The small plaque beneath read Sparda and she realised that this must have been-

"My father." Tate spun round to see that Vergil was behind her. It took her by surprise and she gasped. He didn't seem angry or upset with her being here alone so she wasn't too worried but looks could be very deceiving at times. She had to remember that at all costs.

"Were… you and your father close?" she murmured. Vergil gazed up at the painting so she turned to do the same thing. Less awkward that way in her mind.

"We were all close, from what I can remember. Dante and I were the closest, but our mother and father spent a lot of time with us too. I remember that they favoured Dante over me at times but they loved us both equally. I… miss them," he admitted. The moment became more intimate than the white-haired man had probably intended but… she was very grateful that Vergil trusted her enough to tell her these things.

"I'm sorry for your loss," she whispered. He chuckled and shook his head.

"We should go back. Dante will be returning soon." The two of them walked together in eerie silence back to where Dante would be returning from Limbo. Kat was there waiting for them but she didn't question them on where they'd been. She just smiled and waved as the three of them gathered near the gate.

Soon enough, Dante returned once more. He seemed different now. As if he was more knowledgeable. This part of their plan had been a success then; Dante knew who he was. He stared at Vergil with more warmth than he did before. Not necessarily like a brother but that was to be expected when he'd only just learned that he even had a family.

"You're my brother," he murmured.

"Your twin brother," their leader confirmed, "I've been looking for you for a long time now." That wasn't a lie either. He'd been looking for Dante two years ago when they'd first met too. He'd dedicated so many years of his life to finding his twin brother and bringing Mundus off of his throne. He didn't show it, but Virgil was very glad that he had Dante back now. He showed his necklace to Dante. The one that matched his apart from the colour. The same stone but different colours; red for Dante and blue for Vergil.

"Our mother gave these to us. I think she knew this moment would come. That we'd find each other," he spoke. There was a momentary pause before the brunet replied.

"And our father, Sparda?"

"Banished forever. A fate worse than death, they say. He's never coming back." Fuck, that must have hurt. Knowing that their father was alive but that it was impossible to ever see him again? That can't have been an easy thing to live with knowing. How did it even come to this? Why did Mundus do this to them?

"I want to know more. Where we come from, what happened to us. Above all, I want to know who is responsible for all this," Dante stated before walking away. Vergil briefly turned to smile at the two girls before following after his twin.


	3. Chapter 3

"Silver Sacks Tower. The world's most powerful investment bank. And who runs it? CEO, Kyle Ryder. A human vessel: the physical manifestation of Mundus, the demon-king. Through debt, he controls everything," Vergil explained to Dante as he brought up images and articles on the very demon that the Order planned to take down. Tate folded her arms and scowled at the bastard on the screen. She'd give anything to be able to tear him apart there and then with her bare hands.

"He's a sick fuck and he needs to be taken down," she spat, her tone bitter. Kat placed an understanding hand on her shoulder and she felt herself ease up a little.

"To Mundus, the world is a factory farm for human souls. And he likes to keep his animals monitored and docile. The monitoring is done by the Raptor News Corporation, a global network of CCTV cameras, satellites and spies. The way he keeps us docile is a… little more insidious," their leader continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. Dante took a sip from his can of soda and Tate tried to fight back a laugh.

"What is it?" he questioned.

Any minute now…

"It's in your hand. Planet Earth's most popular soft drink, Virility. The demons have spiked it." Tate giggled quietly when the brunet spat it out and she heard Vergil let out a small chuckle too.

"Don't worry about it, Dante. It won't affect you or Vergil; only humans such as Kat or myself," she reassured the devil hunter and he grunted in response to her, throwing the can behind him and into the trash.

"It's lobotomy in a can," the white-haired male commented.

"So what's the plan?"

Vergil typed a few codes into the computer and a tribal painting appeared on the screen depicting a portal of some sort attached to a large being and smaller beings underneath.

"That's the Hell Gate. A conduit from which Mundus draws his power. While he is connected to the Hell Gate, he is immortal. But if we get him away from the Hell Gate, our swords will do the rest," he explained. It sounded simple enough but nothing was that easy in reality. Tate knew that all too well. She remembered the first time she and Vergil had met. She'd sensed he had a demonic presence about him and so her first instinct had been to fight. The blonde was complacent, thinking she could take him down easily. But she was very wrong. Vergil defeated her effortlessly and managed to restrain her against the wall. He didn't kill her like she thought he would, which surprised her. Instead, he convinced her to join the Order and helped to train her so that she could channel all her grief and sadness into anger which fuelled her drive to make this plan succeed. She and Vergil were kind of close but he was closer to Kat than he was to Tate which meant he focussed on the brunette and her psychic abilities more.

"So how do we do it?" Dante quizzed, shaking the blonde from her memories. She noted Kat's concerned glance in her direction and winked to try and reassure her. She was unable to tell whether it worked or not.

"We get his attention. Mundus is petty, he's impulsive. If we hit him where it hurts, let his anger rule him, I believe we can draw him out," their leader informed the brunet. It was definitely a logical plan for sure. It wouldn't be any harder than it was to get Dante on their side, right? It was the actual killing of Mundus that would be the most challenging of all.

"So we just piss him off and that'll draw him away from the Hell Gate?" she asked, just for confirmation. The white-haired man nodded his head in her direction.

"Roughly speaking, yes," he told her.

"And to piss him off we just need to take out Virility and Raptor News Network?"

"That's it."

The plan couldn't have been anymore straightforward and simple if he were to say 'draw a circle on a piece of paper with a pencil'. Dante looked between the three people around him and shrugged.

"Which one do you wanna do first?"

***

"Well, this is gonna be fun, fun, fun," Tate muttered sarcastically as she made her way towards the Virility factory with Dante and Kat. Vergil had chosen to stay behind so that he wouldn't be discovered and ruin the plan. A part of her wanted him with them but that was the selfish, illogical part of her that acted on emotions rather than fact. Vergil had always chastised her for wearing her heart on her sleeve and so he'd helped her learn how to keep it buried inside. Sometimes she was unable to keep it under wraps but she usually managed to keep herself in check.

"Please, Tate, this is serious," Kat sighed, making Dante chuckle.

"Well, I'm certainly looking forward to getting in there and kicking some demon ass. How about you guys? Ready to rock?" he smirked. The blonde clapped her hands with delicious anticipation of what they were about to do. They were getting closer to weakening Mundus, meaning they were getting closer to striking him down and getting both vengeance and freedom.

Dante smacked a Virility can out of a civilian's hand as they passed him and Kat glared at them. Tate put a hand over her mouth to contain her giggles as she kicked the can down the street and made it knock into a trash can.

"It'll kill ya," the brunet told the man, whose drink was now spilling into the street.

"Don't draw attention!" the psychic hissed and Tate rolled her eyes. Geez, she needed to lighten up. It was just a little harmless fun; nothing serious. Besides, the real serious business was destroying Mundus. That was their main goal. She needed to chill the hell out and just stay calm.

Suddenly, Tate got a sinking feeling in her stomach. She could see Kat fading away and the environment around them changing into a place she wished she'd never have to see again. Why was she even being dragged into Limbo in the first place? All she'd done was kick a can down the street for crying out loud!

"Oh c'mon!" Dante exclaimed in frustration. This wasn't how things were supposed to have gone down. Fucking fuck!

"Kat, they've dragged us into Limbo," she called out to her friend. She could just about make her out in front of them.

"What? How?" the brunette questioned, incredulous. She was silent for a moment before speaking up once more. "The camera spotted you. They must have been looking for Dante, but I don't get why you got dragged there too."

"Look, just open up a gate somewhere so we can get back. And please, don't tell Vergil I'm here. I don't particularly feel like being on the receiving end of a lecture," Tate instructed as calmly as she could whilst Dante started on ahead. Demons started to converge on them and she got into the fighting stance Vergil had taught her during training sessions. She focussed the best she could and drew the short sword that the white-haired man had found for her a while back. It wasn't much good against more powerful demons but it would do the trick against the lesser ones that roamed Limbo freely.

A small group of Stygians crowded around her and Dante as they stood back to back. He seemed very confident and somewhat bored whereas she was a nervous wreck and terrified of what could happen. What if she made a wrong move and got killed?

"I can take care of most of them. Only fight if necessary, okay? Vergil wouldn't want you to get hurt," the devil hunter insisted. Tate just nodded and licked her lips, even though he couldn't see it. He moved away from her and a Stygian dived for her. She tried to remember what it was Vergil had told her to do in these situations as she side-stepped the demon's attack on instinct. It came for her again and she sneered as she lunged forwards, plunging the blade into the neck of the beast. She ripped it along the Stygian's throat and yanked its head off with all her strength.

"Shit," she gasped in surprise as she dropped the head and backed away. Adrenaline coursed through her veins and demonic blood dripped off of the blade of her short sword. Dante finished off the other Stygians with ease and grabbed her hand.

"We need to go, now!" he yelled as she pulled her down the street. He only let go once he'd destroyed one of the demon cameras and then led her through the archway into another part of the street. Suddenly, the road in front of them collapsed to reveal emptiness beneath them. They backed away.

"Well shit," the blonde murmured.

"The city itself is trying to stop you both. Vergil sent me the camera locations for this area. Best avoid them if we can. Follow me," Kat told them.

They followed her down an alley and towards a water fountain. Dante and Tate stopped when the ground collapsed again and he grabbed her around the waist. Before the blonde could protested, he jumped, making her scream in horror. Her eyes slammed shut and she began saying her prayers in her head. It was only when they landed that she reopened her eyes and stepped away from Dante. She smacked his arm and scowled at his laughter. Jerk.

"C'mon, Tate! Don't be like that," he smirked and she flipped him off angrily. However, before she could think of a retort, more demons converged on them. This time there were flying demons that held shields as well as the Stygians from before. What was it that Vergil called them? Shielded Pathos? It was something like that, she was sure of it. Dante went straight for the Stygians and Tate broke out into a sprint to try and get away. She cried out as she fell to the ground after being attacked by a Pathos and turned onto her back. On instinct, she rolled backwards and swung her sword at the demon. The shield went flying and she stabbed the sword into the scum up to the hilt of the blade. She twisted it round inside the beast before pulling it out and kicked it in Dante's direction. The devil hunter, finished with the Stygians, sliced a pale blue cleaver through it and the demon split in half with little to no effort.

Dante and Tate jogged away from the bloodbath and Kat reappeared.

"There you are," she spoke, relieved.

"Here we are, ready to roll," the blonde replied. Her voice trembled a little from the shock of fighting demons. If only Vergil was here watching this. Would he be proud of her for fighting and standing on her own two feet without needing his instruction and guidance?

A loud rumbling filled her ears and she flinched. She glanced around and saw the walls start closing in. Dante got down on his knees and she frowned in confusion.

"Get on my back. It'll be quicker that way, he instructed. Tate climbed onto Dante's back and he stood before running and jumping over where the ground had collapsed. He glided through the air elegantly, even though he had someone on his back, and she tightened her arms around him so she wouldn't fall. His landing was just as graceful as his gliding through the air and she leapt off of his back so that he wouldn't need to carry her anymore. Two cameras locked onto them and a Frost Knight appeared. Tate hid away as she watched Dante fight it off with the cleaver from before. It sheered through the monstrosity with so much ease. It was like a hot knife through butter. Another Frost Knight appeared along with some Stygian and Tate couldn't help but admire how well Dante could fight. He wasn't even breaking a sweat fighting these creatures!

After he was done, the blonde reappeared from her hiding place and the pair made their way down the street once more. He took out the camera closest to them and they snuck over to where Kat was standing.

"We're clear… for the time being," she told them. Good. That meant they could at least have a short rest before having to continue on. She shook a spray can as she approached a metallic garage door.

"Never seen a witch use a spray can before," Dante commented. Tate bit her lip and glanced around. She hated the feeling of being watched, especially here in Limbo.

"Some spells take too long to prepare. In a can, it's ready for instant use at another time," the blonde told the devil hunter as the three of them walked slowly. They reached a set of stairs and Tate leaned against the wall with her arms crossed.

"Where'd you learn this stuff?" the brunet directed his question towards the psychic. A small smile appeared on Tate's face at the memory.

"Vergil taught us both the basics of demonology and occultism. Whereas Tate didn't seem as interested in those things as he was, he thought I had a natural talent for it. He said it would help me to focus on something constructive instead of…" the brunette trailed off. Dantes expression changed from apathetic to interested and concerned.

"Instead of what?" he murmured. Kat didn't answer for a second and Tate's face fell.

"Instead of focussing on the nightmares," was her only response to that. She finished spraying and told them what to do as she walked away, police sirens sounding from the human world.

Dante and Tate approached the pattern she'd painted on the stairs and looked it over for a moment. The devil hunter figured out what exactly he needed to do and made Tate climb onto his back as he used a claw-like implement attached to a chain to pull part of the building away so he could leap onto it. He did this over and over, progressing towards the camera and finally destroying the annoying bastard. Tate jumped off of his back and she watched him fight off demons once more. It was a fascinating sight and he seemed so in his element when in battle against demons. He was so… alive.

"Yo, you coming along or not, Tate?" he shouted up to her. The blonde climbed down and joined him as they fled for an exit. Down alleys and through corridors, trying not to get crushed by the city as it rebelled against them. They wound up in a church and battled against a small horde of demons together. Surprisingly, Tate found that she wasn't getting as tired as she thought she would but she put that down to the adrenaline in her veins. A demon hacked at her arm and she screamed in pain as her good arm automatically slashed the demon with her short sword. It released her and fell to the floor in pieces of bloody meat and bones and organs. Good. It could rot in hell for all she cared.

When a Tyrant appeared, the blonde gulped. It was menacing and horribly ugly. She couldn't even fight against it with the one arm bleeding the way it was. It too painful to even try and move it without painkillers. Vergil was probably going to be upset with her for fighting and trying to help out when she should have hid and waited until Dante told her to come out.

"Who invited you, fat ass?" the devil hunter taunted it and Tate shrieked as it ran towards them. Dante pushed her forcefully out of the way and she slammed into the wall as he fought it fiercely. As soon as the monster was gone, the earth shook and Dante put an arm around her to make sure she didn't hurt herself further.

"Dante! It's chaos out here. But I found a way out," Kat told the male.

"Where?" he questioned in a rush. She pointed up at the spray painted symbol on the window and told him to use that to get out. Dante lifted Tate onto his back and she held on the best she could as he sped towards the window. He jumped and glided with desperation before finally crashing through the window and into the real world. The window smashed around them as he put her down and they walked towards Kat. Despite her terrifying experience, Tate found herself feeling very calm as they walked away from the building.

"That just seemed to drag on forever," Dante joked. "Church."

As the three of them left the destroyed church behind them, Tate couldn't help but dread what was coming next.


	4. Chapter 4

"It's nothing too serious. The worst of it has already healed up somehow, although it might be to do with using less conventional medical care," Vergil smiled as he sewed up the wound in Tate's arm from where the demon had attacked her. He'd given her a weird green star-shaped implement which had healed it up greatly. She just needed stitches and then it would heal completely.

"Guess that'll teach me not to fight against demons again," she muttered. The white-haired man chuckled and shook his head.

"From what Dante told me, you did much better than he expected. You should take that as a compliment. You've improved a lot since we first met," he countered with enthusiasm and awe. He wrapped a bandage around were he'd sewn the wound and handed her jacket back to her. He'd sewn that back up too and cleaned the blood off the best he could but there was still a faint stain there where the blood had been.

"Well… thanks, I guess. It's thanks to you that I'm not dead right now. You taught me how to fight and channel everything into anger," she responded gratefully. Vergil shrugged.

"I'm flattered. We should spar again some time. A one-on-one match. How does that sound? No weapons, just us using our fists," he suggested. Tate definitely liked the sound of that.

"Definitely," she confirmed. He rested a hand on her shoulder and it lingered there as he stared at her. He seemed more caring and open than usual but maybe that was because it was just them and they were taking a break before taking out the Virility factory. Once again, he wasn't accompanying them but she was okay with that. Far less chance of him being discovered.

Vergil removed his gloves and put on a clean, identical pair to the ones he'd just taken off. Tate smiled. He never seemed to take those gloves off.

"We'll talk more about it when this is all over. We'll have more time afterward. For now, I need you to go with Kat and Dante to the Virility factory and help them take out the Succubus," he informed the blonde in a firm, authoritative tone. Tate merely nodded and went to grab her short sword. Vergil wrapped his gloved fingers around her wrist, stopping her, and she turned to him with a sigh.

"I know you don't want me to draw attention to Dante but-"

"No. That's not it," the white-haired man interrupted her mid-speech. She quirked a brow at him.

"Then what is it?" she questioned. Vergil was hesitant for a moment before he spoke up once more.

"I don't want you getting injured or dying. If you get dragged into Limbo again, don't fight any demons. I don't want to…"

Tate didn't get the chance to make him finish what he said. He dropped her wrist and gently shoved her out of his quarters and the doors shut immediately after. Well, that was kinda weird. What was wrong with Vergil? He was never like this when someone got hurt so what had changed? Maybe he didn't want to lose someone who was useful to him but even then that didn't make sense. She wasn't even remotely useful other than for acting as bait for some demon scumbags or whatever.

"Come on. Let's go, Tate," Kat encouraged as she tugged on the blonde's arm. Tate just followed her and Dante and said nothing.

***

The disgusting scent of carbonated soda and artificial sweeteners and flavourings wafted up Tate's nostrils as she, Kat, and Dante entered the factory via the main entrance. It looked quite clean and on the inside was two long escalators leading to and from the upper level.

"I was here years ago as a child," Kat explained, "I explored the whole facility unseen. I sensed a demon under the factory. The Succubus, an ancient one. We believe it's the source of the psychotropic ingredient. That's what they use to control us." They approached the escalator leading up and Tate tried to blot out the sound of the woman on the intercom welcoming everyone to Virility. How pointless. People only came here to get a free sample of the drink.

'How do people actually fall for this crap?" Dante snorted as the escalator began to take them up. Kat remained apathetic.

"If you're told something is true often enough, you tend to believe it. They told me I was crazy for seeing demons," she responded to him. The blonde counted herself as fortunate for not having to go through what Kat did. If she had, she probably wouldn't have been alive right now. The psychic was strong with potential whereas Tate was just… Tate.

"They tried telling me I was a basket case too," Dante told the brunette. Would there be any harm in giving Dante some small details? Maybe not.

"I guess I'm lucky that I didn't go through that," she whispered. Kat nodded, her eyes slightly saddened by the topic.

"They wanted to put me on drugs. Said it would make me better. They lied. They just wanted to keep me weak and docile," the psychic scowled. Tate realised she didn't really know much about Kat, despite how long they'd known each other. She felt guilty for not getting to know her better but she'd been so focussed on vengeance and Vergil's plans that she hadn't really thought to try and know her on a more personal level.

"How did you figure it all out?" the devil hunter enquired with curiosity.

"Vergil pulled me out of the nightmares. You?"

Dante paused momentarily. Tate knew of Vergil's past, how he lost both his mother and father, so she had an idea of Dante's past and what he must have gone through.

"When the people you are supposed to trust most turn out to be demon scum… your eyes really do open up to evil everywhere. I took a stand. Fought back, killed… no matter the consequences. So I chose my path, and I lived by it. And after all that anger, violence and death, you have to dig deep, deep into your own heart, to see if you are still sane. Or if you can still call yourself… human. I just knew in my heart I wasn't crazy," he murmured honestly. The blonde felt that she understood his motives more now and she couldn't help but compare how he lived to what little Vergil had told her about his own path. He'd traversed through Limbo, trying to find a way to remove Mundus from existence, and that was where he'd come up with the idea of founding the Order. He took a stand like Dante had but it wasn't as directly violent.

The trio got to the top of the escalator and entered the mixing room. Civilians crowded around the large machine in the middle that mixed the soda and added the secret ingredient. Just thinking about what it could be and what these poor people could be drinking made her shudder with disgust. She was glad that she never drank the stuff. If she had, she would have been as weak as the humans who did consume the shit.

"The Succubus is hidden deep inside the factory but there is no physical way to reach it from our world. Only from Limbo. There's a rift inside," the brunette explained to Dante. Tate led the way through the KEEP OUT door at the back of the mixing room and made sure they were unseen as she shut it silently behind them. They then proceeded down through the corridors towards the basement where Dante would need to go into Limbo. Part of her wanted to stay like Vergil had told her to but she knew she wasn't going to do as she was told. She was determined to go into Limbo with the devil hunter and help him at least find the Succubus and hide in the shadows as he defeated it. Besides, what was Vergil going to do if she disobeyed? Slap her on the wrist? She was a grown woman and she had the right to do as she liked and go where she pleased. Anyways, she'd snuck out a little something that would help her fight demons with Dante. Their leader would probably be pissed at her upon their return but she didn't give a shit at that point. This was way too important.

"This is where all the merch is kept before export, yeah?" she asked Kat. The psychic nodded in confirmation but she looked slightly confused.

"I expected it to be bigger, a lot bigger… but then, I was just a child when I was here and I was in Limbo," she said, mostly to herself but to the other two as well.

"What were you doing here?" Dante questioned. He was taking a lot of interest in Kat, Tate noticed, and she saw how much he'd come to care for her in so little time. It was like they had connected on a personal level already. Was that what a true friendship was?

"Escaping my nightmares," the brunette answered simply. The devil hunter looked amused.

"You came to Limbo to escape your nightmares," he stated in disbelief. Kat replied with a simple yes and the blonde giggled almost inaudibly at Dante's expression. He definitely hadn't been expecting that answer.

Deeper into the bottom of the factory they went, Kat telling them what they needed to do and where they needed to go. Tate had told her almost as soon as they left that she was going to Limbo with Dante and she hadn't exactly disagreed or protested so she took that as a sign that the psychic was okay with it. Large crates of the soft drink surrounded them as Kat got down on her knees and rolled a stencil out, spraying the spell onto it. Tate and Dante both stepped onto the symbol together and the former gripped the weapon she'd brought with her. In a flash, they were back in Limbo as everything chopped and changed. The floor disappeared and everything rearranged so that the two of them were way further down than possible in the human world. She held onto Dante's arm with her spare hand so she wouldn't fall and only released him when she was sure they weren't moving anymore.

"Dante? Tate?" Kat called questioningly, panic in her voice. Tate glanced up and saw their friend looking around cluelessly.

"Yo, we're down here! You were right, it's fucking huge down here!" she yelled up to her.

"You need to head back to the mixing room. I'll meet you there and show you where to go next, okay?" she informed them. Tate gave her a thumbs up and a smile, covering up the wince of pain at raising her injured arm. She hadn't even thought about how her arm could affect her performance against demons. Shit.

Kat left and so Dante and Tate were left alone. He bent down and she got the idea straight away, climbing onto his back so he could get her up to the top easier. It was slightly uncomfortable but it was better than having to keep stopping and starting because of her human limitations. He used the red demonic looking claw to pull parts of the floating debris closer to them so it was easier to ascend back up to the top. As they went, Tate noted how they hadn't been attacked yet. She thought it was weird how they hadn't been spotted but she wasn't complaining. In fact, it meant that she wouldn't be risking further injury and the wrath of Vergil. Dante began using the blue claw to swing them over to one of the platforms and that was when they were finally attacked. Maybe she'd jinxed them when she was thinking about how they hadn't gotten attacked. Well shit.

Tate jumped off of his back and drew the weapon she'd snuck in with her. It was one that she'd made herself and worked quite well for its intended purpose. It was a boomerang with a sharp blade attached to both ends of it so it could work both as a throwing weapon and a close combat weapon. Dante gave it a quick glance and smirked before going into battle. Tate slashed and sliced the demon that stood in front of her, every move instinctual as she listened to her body and moved with the weapon as if she were a part of it. This method seemed to work well now that she was less shocked by the act of killing the scum herself but it still kind of freaked her out a little when she saw blood spray out from a throat or a body become gouged in half with the insides spilling out.

"Nice one," the devil hunter commented once they were done. He seemed impressed with her but she waved him off. She was just a novice in comparison to him. Her movements were still somewhat clumsy at times whereas he'd mastered combat with the demons and it came to him naturally.

"Thanks," she mumbled and put her weapon away as she climbed onto his back again. Once again, they made their ascension up to the top and came across a Hell Knight. Dante hid Tate before it saw them and she peeked out from behind the metal drum she was hidden behind to watch them fight. She was caught off guard by her phone buzzing and she quickly shrank back to check the messages she'd just been sent.

[V]: I know you took it, Tate. Stop disobeying me -V-

[V]: Stop ignoring my texts, woman -V-

[V]: Are you alright? Are you in trouble? -V-

[V]: Answer me for god's sake! -V-

Shit, Vergil was pissed. And… was he worried? Nah, he was just made at her for disobeying orders, right? He didn't care for her. Kat was the important one. The favourite. The more useful out of the two of them. She had nothing to offer Vergil in terms of the plan so why was he even involving her? Maybe he was just doing it because he had a soft spot for Kat and she'd convinced him to let Tate tag along for a while.

[T]: Don't worry about me. I'm not important. Focus on finding a way for Dante to get into the Raptor News Tower -T-

She slipped her phone back into her pocket and continued watching Dante fight the demons. Another ugly ass demon like the one from the church had joined in the fight now but the brunet seemed to be managing just fine without any help for the time being. He made her climb on his back again as he ran towards her after killing the last of the demons and he used the blue claw to swing them from platform to platform.

"So, how'd you meet Vergil? He seems kinda fond of you," Dante asked as she jumped off his back at the final platform. They traipsed through the corridors together and she gave him a simple shrug.

"Well… I won't go into details but we fought each other for a bit, he beat me and he said he saw potential in me. He told me about the Order and I told him about the demons who had killed my girlfriend. He said he knew who was responsible for it and that I could help to destroy them if I joined his organisation. He started training me in combat after that. I'm nowhere near as good as I could be but it gets the job done and he's helped me to channel all my bad emotions into anger which helps me to fight better," she told him with as much honesty as she could whilst holding back some details. They glanced at each other and she recognised empathy in his eyes. He knew how it felt to lose loved ones to demons.

"Mundus killed your girlfriend?" he murmured softly. Tate nodded silently and the subject was dropped after that. She felt the sadness began to creep in and blocked it from her mind, letting it change into anger ready for their next fight.


	5. Chapter 5

Reaching the mixing room had been easier than expected. Well, Tate thought it was easier anyway. Maybe she just overestimated and expected too much from everything. It wasn't like it had been a complete walk in the park or anything. They'd constantly been attacked by demons and Dante had to push her out of the way of attacks she could have easily blocked. Her lucky streak in combat had obviously come to and end. Maybe Vergil and Dante were wrong to place faith in her fighting skills; she was only human after all. Still, they had reached the mixing room after endless fighting and running and now they just had to find the Succubus and kill her so that Virility would no longer be controlling the human civilians that consumed it. Hopefully, the company would go out of business and they'd have no chance at controlling anyone anymore.

"Well, this is foreboding," Tate commented as they entered, smirking. However, her expression changed to disgust as her skin paled when she saw what the large mixer in the centre of the room actually was. It was… she didn't even want to think about what the fuck it was. Holy crap, that was just wrong! And then, around the rest of the room, the soda disposers were larger demons digesting the liquid fed to it by the… lower half of the Succubus in the centre of the mixing room. Fuck… whose idea was it to do this? She hated demons but this was just cruel. Not that the scum didn't deserve this, because they absolutely did, but it wasn't pretty.

"What in the shitting hell is going on here?" Dante asked. Tate turned away, unable to look any longer. A shudder ran through her at the memory of what shed just seen.

"The mixing process," Kat responded from close by.

"You don't fucking say, Kat!" the blonde yelled with a hand over her mouth as she tried not to throw up.

"For now, it's the source we're interested in. Just don't think about it, Tate," the psychic responded softly but Tate just shook her head. Nothing had prepared her for this freaky ass shit!

"I'm guessing our succubus is on the other end of that?" Dante questioned. Kat told them both to follow as she walked past them and tried to look as normal as possible. Tate went to go after her but more demons appeared. They seemed very protective and defensive now that they were closer to finding the succubus.

"I'll go ahead with Kat. You can meet up with us, yeah?" Tate called to Dante and he gave her a quick thumbs up before diving right into battle with his sword, guns, and other weapons.

Kat led Tate through the corridor and the pair of them waited for the devil hunter close to the door so they could make sure he was okay. It was pointless but Vergil would never forgive them if they let anything happen to his twin. Tate got a feeling that their leader was not one to upset or get on the wrong side of so she made sure she was prepared in case she needed to jump in and help him out. It wasn't very long until he rejoined them in the corridor.

"You okay? That looked pretty nasty," Kat questioned with obvious concern for the brunet. He just shrugged it off as if he hadn't fought a horde of demons and kept on walking in the direction they needed to go in.

"That? Nah. That was just a big fat joke," he mocked. "C'mon, lets go get this Succubus." The three of them abandoned the mixing room and Tate was glad to be away from there but the image was still burned into her mind. Well, those nightmares weren't going away in a hurry, that was for sure. The one time she came to Limbo of her own will and she found something that actually mentally disturbed her. She really needed to obey orders more.

The trio walked further into the bowels of the factory until they got as far down as they could go. In unison, they looked down over a ledge to find that there was a long tunnel they'd have to get through before they'd get close to finding the Succubus. The blonde could just about make out the sounds of a large fan spinning and fear of being chopped into tiny chunks gripped her. Dante wouldn't let any harm come to her, right? They weren't exactly the best of friends, despite how well they had gotten on so far, but she was positive they weren't just acquaintances either. Would he actually save her? Well, he'd protected her so far so why would he stop now?

"Now what?" Dante enquired as he tried to assess the situation. Tate flicked her fringe to the side of her face with two fingers and waited for an answer.

"This tunnel leads you to the Succubus," the brunette informed them both. She made it sound so blasé and simple but this was important. If there was a large demon down there then that meant the air vents were to try and keep it cool. That meant that the factory constantly needed cooling down because of the Succubus' body heat which suggested that she must have been pretty fucking big. This also meant that attacks could be more devastating for them if she managed to hit any of them.

"How are we getting down there?" she questioned.

"You can only get there from Limbo. I can't follow," the psychic informed them, pulling a small, round device out of her hoodie. Dante scoffed at it and raised a brow slightly.

"What's that? An egg-timer?" he teased. Kat tutted and began to explain what it was.

"It's a vial containing a spell made from a variety of-"

"I don't need to know."

Once more they looked down the tunnel. Tate's heart was pounding in her chest and thoughts of dying briefly flitted through her mind. Now was not the time to be thinking about that sort of thing. If she'd followed Vergil's orders instead of thinking she could do this without him, then she wouldn't be thinking about how many ways she could die right now in Limbo. She also wouldn't be thinking about whether Vergil would be upset or if he'd just move along and find someone else who would be more useful to him than she was.

"You jump, I twist," Kat instructed. The blonde blinked and brought herself back to the present.

"Okay, let's d-do this," she stammered. She felt the other two watching her intently as she shifted from foot to foot and blinked in surprise when Dante turned her to face him fully. He wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her. Well, this was probably more unexpected than the mixing room monstrosity.

"Put your arms around my shoulders. I won't let go until we're able to run along the tunnel, I promise. Vergil made me swear I would keep you safe if we both ended up in Limbo again," he spoke into her ear calmly. Tate hesitated, doing as he'd told her to. Vergil made him promise to keep her safe? She didn't think she was that important to him. It wasn't like she was irreplaceable.

"Okay… I think I'm ready," she said after a while with a nod of the head. She felt Dante turn his head so that he could speak to Kat.

"We jump, you twist," he reiterated her instructions from before.

"Good luck," the psychic spoke. Tate nodded to her over the brunet's shoulder and gripped onto him tightly.

Suddenly, wind was rushing through her hair as they fell through the air in the tunnel. At first she was quiet but then she felt an excited scream rip from her throat as they shot downwards, adrenaline pumping through her veins as if this were a rollercoaster ride and not a potential plummet to her death. She heard Dante laugh and his hold on her loosened. Eventually they were able to stand on the ground and they released each other. Kat yelled to them that they wouldn't have long to get there and they made a run for it. Dante held her hand as they jumped through the air to get over large gaps and held onto her hips when he had to glide particularly far. They passed demon after demon, each of them screeching at the two of them as they tried to get to the vent. He used the blue claw to swing them over the last drop and she quickly opened up the vent door. The pair of them ducked inside and she slammed it shut behind them. Shit, that was a close one. The smell in there was disgusting but that was to be expected in a sewage tunnel.

The walk through the tunnel was a long one but they eventually arrived in the Succubus lair where the stench was the worst. Tate felt like she was going to be sick again but she held it back with a tremendous amount of restraint. Through the gap between two walls, she saw the Succubus hanging upside down and writhing around as it made disgusting noises. Silently, she got out her boomerang weapon and saw Dante limbering up out the corner of her eye.

"Hey, Dante?" she spoke up out of the blue. They stopped for a moment and the devil hunter turned to her.

"'Sup Tate?" he asked as if they weren't about to go and slay a Succubus that had lived under a factory for centuries. The blonde rubbed the back of her neck anxiously.

"If… I die here, tell Vergil that I'm sorry I wasn't good enough." Dante furrowed his brows but she saw a flicker of hurt in his eyes.

"You are good enough. Fighting demons is tough so he'd understand if you can't kill it," he told her. Tate just shook her head.

"No, no I meant that… I know I'm not a good enough fighter keep up with either of you and I don't have much talent for magic and witchcraft like Kat does. I'm of no use to the plan and he could easily replace me with the click of his fingers," she tried to tell him. Dante sighed and clapped her good shoulder.

"I'm not going to be the one to tell you what he thinks of you - that's something you have to talk to him about personally - but I can tell you that you're not nothing to him." The conversation ended with Dante walking on ahead. Tate followed behind and tried not to let what he'd said distract her.

A moment later, they arrived in the heart of the Succubus' lair. The scent of putrid vomit tainted the air and Tate found herself gagging and trying not to be sick herself. Jesus shit that was fucking sick (pardon the pun). The Succubus wriggled around from where she hung and Tate tried to blot out the sounds that the demon made up there.

"So you must be the secret ingredient," Dante called as he approached the edge of the platform there were on. Below them was what looked and smelt like sick and steam rose from it in little, almost inexistent wisps. Ew.

"Who… are… you?" the Succubus spoke in her ancient, deceitful voice as she tilted her head slightly to look at the pair. Dante smirked smugly and Tate played with the blade tips on the boomerang.

"We're your prom-dates you ugly sack of shit!" the brunet sneered and Tate bit her lip to hold back a giggle. The demon extended its arms and legs out of its grub-like body and jumped down onto the platform to loom over them. She smelt even worse up close like this.

"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOUUUUUUU!?" the Succubus screeched in their faces and spewed vomit everywhere. Dante and the blonde split and jumped in opposite directions so they wouldn't get covered in the disgusting liquid.

"Ha! You missed, fuck-face!" Tate jeered, faking her confidence. If she were to die here today then she might as well pretend that she was confident in the face of her demise. Thoughts once again turned to death but this time they were more focussed around what everyone would do if she did die. Obviously, they'd proceed with their plan to take down the demon-king but what then? Would they bury her? Would anyone care?

"Oh, and by the way, I'm Dante and that's Tate," the devil hunter told her in a loud voice. The Succubus seemed more interested and intrigued now than before she'd been told their names.

"Dante? Son of Sparda? And Eva the whoooorrrreeee?!" it howled and threw up everywhere again. Did this demon know how to fucking keep it down? Jesus Christ.

"Yep. But you can call me Dante the demon killer. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think, Tate?" the brunet smirked, directing his question to Tate. The blonde nodded with a grin.

"Hell, I like it. It suits you," she responded with a shrug. The Succubus leered at her and came closer to her.

And don't think I don't know about you, daughter of the Fallen One. You are jussst as disgusting as Dante's whore mother," it growled. Daughter of the Fallen One? What was that supposed to mean?

"Look, bitch, I don't know who you think I am but my parents are both humans and I'm a human too. You're obviously mistaking me for someone else," she snorted. The Succubus chuckled darkly at her.

"So naïve. After all this time and you didn't even know who you really are," she mocked. Dante shot a gun at the demon and she growled at him.

"C'mon, it's about time we put you to sleep for good!" he shouted.

"Ha! You can't kill me! I'm twelve hundred years old!" the Succubus proclaimed as she glared him down.

"You dont look a day over twelve thousand," the brunet retorted.

"Fuck you!"

"Fuck you!"

"FUCK YOUUUUUU!"

The demon spurted sick everywhere for a third time and Tate jumped back, still somewhat distracted. Fallen One? She'd never even heard of the Fallen One before. Did she mean a fallen angel? Was Tate… the daughter of a fallen angel? No, that wasn't possible. Both of her parents were human, right? She would have been able to tell if one of them was anything other than that.

Dante made Tate hide behind a concrete pillar as he fought against the Succubus. He slashed and hacked at the demons body with his sword and showered bullets upon her with his pistols. Tate bit her lip. He hid it well but she knew he was having a little bit of trouble here against the Succubus. The blonde waited until the demon wasn't attacking him and used her boomerang to cut free one of the tubes pumping her internal liquids to the mixing room. The monster turned to glare at her and Tate panicked, making a run for it and jumping to get onto another platform. She just about made it and hauled herself up, hiding behind another pillar. Tate and Dante repeated the process again and Tate used her boomerang to rip off another tube. She jumped onto the next platform and panted when she landed. Fuck, she was getting tired out quickly. There was no time to rest though. Dante began fighting the Succubus again and Tate used her boomerang to slash at the final tube holding the Succubus up. The platform began to crumble and she tried to jump but only just managed to grab onto the ledge with the tips of her fingers. It was painful as hell, the gravely stone of the platforms biting into her skin.

"Shit! Hold on!" Dante called to her with urgency. She rolled her eyes and tried to haul herself up.

"That's what I'm doing, asshat!" she shouted impatiently. One of her hands lost its grip and she cried out in agony. The only arm holding her up now was her bad arm. Just her luck. She could feel herself slipping and her stomach dropped. This was it. This was going to be the last thing she saw and felt before she died here. Dante appeared and held out his hand for her to grab onto and she tried to reach up but found that she couldn't because she was still holding onto the boomerang.

"You need to let go of the boomerang if you want me to pull you up," he told her as he tried to reach down. She shook her head violently.

"I cant. I need it to help you," she whimpered.

"Tate, let go of it. Please," he pleaded. Reluctantly, she dropped the boomerang and watched it fall into the pool of putrid puke below. Her bad arm started to give out and she looked up again, throwing her arm up. Dante grabbed it and hauled her up just as the part of the platform she'd held onto fell apart and into the pool. He helped her stand up and then dragged her away from the edge, back onto the other platform that led back the way they came.

Unfortunately, it wasn't over yet. They both spun round when the Succubus broke through the platform and tried to make a grab for them. The stone collapsed and Tate screamed as they fell. Thankfully, they landed on a part of the platform that was still floating. The blonde looked around for a way to get away from the Succubus as Dante used the red claw to yank the demon off of the remnants of stone. Finally, he slashed at her hand and she went flying into the blades of the vent fan and died.

"I think you're all mixed up," Dante sighed as they watched the Succubus' remains being washed away.


	6. Chapter 6

Tate sat in front of Vergil, looking anywhere but at him. She knew that he wasn't happy with her and that this could turn ugly quickly. As soon as they'd gotten back from Limbo, Vergil had been waiting to bring Tate home on his own while Kat drove Dante back to headquarters. He'd been silent the whole ride home, the atmosphere thick with tension until they'd gotten back to his room. The white-haired man made her take a seat and that was what led them to the present.

"You disobeyed me. Again," he stated after what felt like forever. Tate just nodded and bit her lip. He'd told her not to go into Limbo and not to fight and she'd done the opposite of what he'd wanted. She'd put herself in danger and, because she was so stubborn, she'd almost gotten herself killed.

"I-"

"What? You're sorry? If you were sorry you wouldn't have gone against my wishes," Vergil interrupted her with quiet anger. The blonde gritted her teeth before looking up at him and seeing that his lips were set in a stern, thin line.

"That's unfair, Vergil. Don't you dare say that when you would have done the same in my position," she huffed. He clenched his fists tight as he tried to hold back his temper.

"No. You don't get to do that. Dante is my brother, not yours. What's so special about him that you'd rather follow him to the ends of the Earth than respect my wishes?" he questioned angrily. Tate leaned back and folded her arms, rolling her eyes.

"I'm only doing what you'd want me to do," she tutted. What he said finally registered fully in her head and she furrowed her brows. "And what do you mean 'rather follow him to the ends of the Earth'? He's not important to me like that. Not like…" She fell silent as she trailed off and realised what she was about to say. Shit. Shit, she couldn't say that to him. He was Nephilim and she was human. Well, at least she thought she was human. After what the Succubus said, she didn't even know anymore.

"You told me you weren't going to go into Limbo this time. That you wouldn't fight," he murmured as he sat beside her. The blonde twiddled her thumbs and shrugged.

"I know. I just wanted to help and show that I'm useful. I know I can't fight as well as you want me to and I'm no good with magic. What use am I to you other than another set of eyes and a nuisance?" she grumbled.

This had been bugging her for a while now. She felt like she wasn't meant to be there. Like she wasn't a real member of the Order. Kat had her place beside Vergil, as did Dante, but what did Tate have other than confusion and the inability to follow Vergil's orders? She wasn't exactly the most competent follower he could have asked for. He should have just abandoned her and left her on her own when he had the chance. Maybe he should have thrown her into Limbo and let her die there with the demons.

"You're more than just another member of the Order, Tate. You are important. Yes, you don't excel in the areas that we do but I honestly couldn't give a shit. You're better than you give yourself credit for," the white-haired man explained. Tate just shrugged. She wasn't so sure.

"Maybe…" she responded. She heard Vergil sigh, her eyes widening when she felt a bare hand on top of hers. She glanced down and saw that it belonged to Vergil then looked up at him.

"I came so close to losing you today. I hate admitting it but the thought of losing you… it's not one I ever want to have. You're important to me but in a way that the others aren't."

He leaned in and looked like he was about to say something more but instead he opted for pulling her into a tender hug. Tate hesitated before returning the embrace. This was different to when Dante had hugged her. Whereas that hug had been tighter with little emotion behind it, this one was looser but more intimate and comforting.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. He rubbed her back.

"I know," he replied softly.

Nothing more was said on the subject and the next morning brought the next stage in their plan; eliminating Bob Barbas. All four of them stood on the bridge opposite the news tower and Tate rubbed her arms. They were just there to see Dante off but she could tell that there was something on Vergil's mind. He had said nothing about it so far and she wasn't going to push it either. She didn't want to risk him telling her to mind her own business and that last night had just been a moment of weakness.

"You've done well," he addressed the other three, "we've dealt with the Succubus. That will have hurt Mundus, and got his attention. Now to land the second blow, and disable Mundus monitoring network." They leaned against the bridge and looked out across the river towards the industrial buildings. It was a beautiful city. Just a shame that it was tainted by Mundus and his demonic empire.

"Dante just needs to take out Raptor News Tower now, right?" the blonde asked. Vergil nodded in confirmation.

"Controlled by Mundus, they've a monopoly over the worlds media: news, advertising, entertainment-"

"Mind-control," Dante interrupted his brother. The white-haired man nodded.

"Yeah. And surveillance. They spy on the populace through their network of satellites, routers and CCTV cameras," he continued. Tate watched Dante's expression sour at the mention of the CCTV cameras. It had only happened yesterday but it felt like it was a life time ago. How did so much happen in so little time? Sometimes she'd look back over her time with Vergil and think about how it felt so unreal at times.

"I noticed that bit. So what's the plan?" the devil hunter questioned. The twins turned to her and Kat and Tate pulled out her phone. She quickly pulled up a small PDF file she'd had transferred to her phone about Mundus and Bob Barbas in case she needed to add to it on the go.

"Bob Barbas runs the Raptor News Network. He's not just some asshat human though; he's a demon. He has a lot of control over the media here," she informed the brunet. He stared out over the river towards the tower with a look of disgust written all over him.

"So he's more than just a fucking dick… and he's in that tower?"

"Not that tower," Kat intervened, pointing down to the reflection in the river. "That one." Dante made a confused huh sound and the blonde rolled her eyes. Considering how perceptive Dante could be, he hadn't latch onto the simple stuff as often as he probably should have.

"In Limbo, that isn't a reflection. It's the real deal," Vergil spoke, his lips quirked up a little at the sides. Tate put her phone away and pulled her hood up to cover her head and protect it from the slight breeze.

"It's a prison tower for demons. Barbas runs it unfairly with no mercy or escape for any inmates. You'll need to be careful when you go in there so that you don't get caught," she informed the devil hunter. Stepping back from the bridge, he gave an attentive nod to show that he was listening.

"Prepare the gateway," their leader instructed Kat and she got down on her knees to spray another gateway onto the bridge. "You'll both be alone this time. Kat can't follow where you're headed and nor can I." Tate furrowed her brows and gazed over at Vergil but his eyes were trained solely on his brother.

"That's fine. Kat's done enough and so has Tate. You need them more than I do," the brunet responded in a monotonous voice. Vergil nodded his head slightly.

"On the plus side, there won't be any cameras down there."

"Good," was Dante's only reply as he moved towards Kat.

Tate hesitantly tapped Vergil's shoulder and he finally looked at her. He no longer had a smile on his face, expression more concerned than she'd seen him yet. Was he going to order that she go with Dante? She didn't know if she wanted to go with him.

"Verge…" she murmured but he shushed her.

"I have a special mission for you. Go with him. There should be someone down there who will open up a gate for you to get back once you've done this task for me, okay? Tell no-one of this; it's our little secret," he spoke in hushed tones so that only she could hear him. Tate nodded her head obediently. Maybe this was her chance to redeem herself for yesterday's disaster.

"What do you want me to do?" she questioned eagerly. A sad smile graced his features as he reached out to cup her neck. Why was he suddenly being so sentimental? Was this because of yesterday? Shit, she'd made him worry about her. He had more important things to worry about than some maybe-human that kept going against his wishes to do whatever they pleased.

"Find out whatever you can about Mundus. There should be a prisoner down there who can tell you something about him or his plans or something like that. Get the information and then find a prisoner named Gabriel. My mother was a close friend of his and he'll know you when he sees you," he instructed. The blonde shook her head.

"How will he know me? We've never even met," she tutted. She witnessed him pulling out a necklace that was similar to the ones he and Dante had but it was clearly a fake. The curious stone glinted green as he put the necklace around her neck.

"He'll see that and know that I sent you. Trust me."

"Okay."

They joined Kat and Dante by the gate and, just as she went to step onto the symbols on the ground, Vergil gave her a quick, very brief squeeze. He didn't need to say anything for her to know that was his way of telling her to be careful down there. She stepped into the gate with the devil hunter and everything changed around them until they sank through the bridge and started flying down towards the water. Wait, wasn't this going to kill her? Shit, Vergil was sending her down here to die wasn't he? Fuck, shit, fuck. As soon as they hit the water, she gasped and found that she wasn't drowning. She wasnt even breathing in the water. Instead, it was as if she were breathing above water. Was the Succubus correct about her? Was she really the daughter of a fallen angel? It seemed like too much of a coincidence to her. There had to be some element of truth to it otherwise she wouldn't have been able to breathe down here or run around on the surfaces like Dante was. The pair of them reached the top of some small platforms and the brunet smashed through some debris before the continued on their way.

Part way across the bridge, they both came across some Shielded Pathos. With a growl, Tate leaped up to grab one and threw it towards Dante who then proceeded to eliminate it and destroy the surrounding demons. Fighting was becoming a little but easier now and she started to feel that maybe she'd gotten a little bit hasty in deciding that she couldn't fight anymore. At the moment it seemed like her abilities were fluctuating so she had to make the most of what she had for the time being.

"Alright then. Let's go find this fucker's lair," Dante smirked as he tore apart the last demon. They paced down the bridge casually, making light work of the demons they encountered, and took their time getting across to the penitentiary part of the tower.

"Even Limbo has its own version of the Slammer. Think we'll find any entertainment in there?" Tate asked jokingly. The brunet sniggered and helped Tate across to an opening he created in the wall. It looked like a mix of a dystopian city and something from Tron inside with TVs showing Bob Barbas' face everywhere and spewing junk about punishing demons. Tate could hear the tortured screams of demons that were wasting away into nothingness and it hurt her to hear their agony. Even though she didn't like demons, she still felt sorry for them. What the hell gave Mundus and Barbas the right to do this to those they were supposed to be ruling over?

"Get on my back. I'll need to try and swing us through to where we need to be," Dante instructed calmly. She did as she was told and clung onto him tightly, closing her eyes when he swung from hook to hook and glided through the air at an accelerated speed as opposed to how fast he usually went. It sent some strands of hair astray and they flickered around as she felt Dante get closer to landing. She felt something itching in her spine, burning slightly. It wasn't unbearable but it was somewhat irritating and distracting which could cause a problem in the future. Maybe it was from being slammed into a wall or from the factory or something.

They eventually landed and she climbed off of the brunet's back. A small, rat-like monkey screeched at them and then scurried away back to wherever it came form.

"Weird…" she murmured to herself as they started to make their way towards the tower. They weren't that far away now; just a little more to go and then theyd be there. The screams returned and Tate flinched at how much agony they were all in.

"Poor bastards…" Dante murmured. The blonde rubbed her head and took a step back as he set to work fighting off more demons. A Hell Knight lunged towards her and she jumped on impulse, stepping on its shield and then leaping over it whilst kicking it in the head. The demon stumbled towards Dante and he hacked and slashed at it with his sword. Tate picked up a shard of a glass from the floor and threw it like a throwing knife so that it lodged in the last demon's eye. As it screeched and howled, Dante put an end to its life and the pair high-fived.

"So, how are things with you and Kat?" she asked him as they wandered through Limbo towards one of the upside down buildings. He frowned and stared at her.

"They're… great. Why are you asking?" he answered with hesitation. The blonde gave a small shrug of the shoulders and slipped her hands into her pockets.

"No reason. You guys just seem to have gotten kinda close," she commented, to which he quirked a brow.

"Yeah? Kinda like you and Vergil?" he teased and Tate blushed lightly. She flipped him off, encouraging a laugh out of him as they continued on over the bridge and towards the tower.

Dante grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back forcefully when the bridge broke and twisted in the air, trains flying all over the place. She yelped when one passed by too close for her liking and elbowed Dante when he chuckled at her. She looked around for another way for them to get across when something caught her eye. Upon closer inspection, she saw a man - no, demon - being attacked by what looked like Harpies going by descriptions Vergil had given her in the past. Vergil… what was he doing right now?

"Hey… you think we should go check out what's going on over there?" she asked the brunet. He glanced over in the same direction she was. The blonde saw him nod from the corner of her eye and so they both made their way over. They both set to work attacking the harpies to get them away from the demon and Tate hissed when one of them clawed at her. She grabbed it around the neck and punched it as hard as she could in the face. Her fist smashed straight into the skull and she pulled her hand back with a hiss. For fuck sake, this was not the time to get injured.

"Who's there?" the demon questioned as he aimlessly swung the sword around. "I know you're there! I can feel you. Who is it? I'll cut your head off!" Tate noticed part of his head was missing and realised that he was blind or in the very least unable to see anything momentarily.

"Yo, man! We're not gonna hurt you unless you give us a reason to hurt you, alright? So just put your weapon down now," she spoke to him in a calm tone.

"Are you… a prisoner of Mundus too?" the demon questioned, calmer now as he lowered his weapon. Dante stepped forward and rested a hand on her shoulder gently.

"We're from upstairs. Can you tell us how to get to that tower?" Dante interjected with his own request. The demon seemed to hesitate a little before coming up with an answer to their question.

"The tower? Why?"

"We're going to kill the bastard running this joint. Will you help us?" the blonde answered him. A smile appeared on the demon's face.

"Kill it? Yes. I can help. If you help me first," it agreed. Tate forced back a groan. They shouldn't be wasting time but this was most likely the only way they were going to get to the tower. Dante turned to the demon and Tate folded her arms.

"Let's hear it," the devil hunter sighed.

Hopefully, they weren't falling into a trap.


	7. Chapter 7

"Those flying bastards stole my eye," the demon told them. "They torment me incessantly. I can't leave here without it. I'm trapped for eternity. Get me back my eye and I'll take you to the tower." Tate didn't particularly like the sounds of this plan but there wasn't much else they could do. Besides, this gave her the chance to get acquainted with the place so it would take less time to find the guy that was supposed to be sending her back to the human world.

Currently, she and Dante were hiding whilst the demon taunted the Harpies, encouraging them to come back once more so that they could both follow them to their nest and retrieve the eye and then get to the tower. She didn't want to go but she feared she'd have to if she couldn't find Gabriel to send her home. Right on cue, the Harpies returned as they shrieked. Tate and Dante leapt over from their platform and made chase after the small group of Harpies that had gathered.

"Yeah that's it, lead the way," the brunet muttered encouragingly at the demons. She climbed up the wall quickly and felt the devil hunter pass over her head before they arrived in the next compartment. Their route became diverted when the Harpies ripped up the floor and mocked them. Not one to be deterred, Dante helped Tate up to a platform and smashed through a wall to try and find another way across. The blonde, hissing at the burning in her back again, glanced around and pointed to a ring in the air that was a peculiar green. He grabbed her around the waist and glided over to it before speeding through the air towards where the bastards had gone with the demon's eye. Cackling, they began to fly away again and Tate growled impatiently whilst trying to catch up. They came to an opening and were about to step out when a train shot past them like a bullet. Holy shit, that was unexpected! This meant they'd have to be even more careful in case more trains came and actually hit them. Whilst Dante might survive, Tate was unsure whether she would or not.

The pair of them sprinted down the tunnel as quickly as possible to keep up with the winged beasts, leaping out of the way when trains flew by them. They missed Tate by only a centimetre or so and it reminded her of when she used to get too close to the train tracks in the subway when she was a little kid. How long ago had that been? Jesus, she was maybe only four years old? Fifteen years had passed since then. Nineteen years old and she was risking her life for two Nephilim and trying to save the world from the clutches of evil.

Finally, they dropped to a lower level where the trains couldn't hit them. However, the bad news was that they had to contend with demon scumbags who would do anything in their power to eliminate the two of them. Tate slammed her foot into the face of a Stygian and smashed its face into the wall before tossing it in the air to be hit by a train. She found great satisfaction listening to the sickening thwack sound and the squelch of blood and inner organs. Some of the black, sickly liquid splashed onto her face and her jacket and she grinned. Maybe it was the adrenalin that made her enjoy it but, whatever it was, it made her keep going until all the Stygian were gone as well as the demons Dante was up against. The way he looked at her resembled one of worry and poignancy. What did he have to feel sad about? It wasn't like Tate was hurt by the demons just now or anything.

"You enjoy yourself?" he questioned. Tate just nodded and clapped her hands excitedly. They made their way back up to a higher level and ran through the corridors, breaking through walls and searching intently for the bastards. The blonde caught sight of them and sprinted towards the nest.

As soon as she and Dante landed on the glass flooring of the nest, the glass began to crack and shatter beneath their feet. Tate cursed inwardly and lunged for the centre at the same time as the devil hunter. The two of them made it just before the glass they'd been stood on shattered completely and fell into the abyss below.

"Why are we doing this for a crusty old demon?" the brunet muttered. Tate smiled slightly and patted his shoulder with false sympathy.

"To get the eye so we can get across the goddamned bridge," she answered and he nodded with a huff. Rude.

"Oh yeah. That's why."

Tate could sense that more demons were coming to surround them when Dante used the red claw to retrieve the eye for the demon. It looked more like a video camera but that was none of her business and it was probably that way for a good reason anyways. Harpies and various other demons converged on them angrily and Tate remained in the middle of the room as Dante fought off the monsters. He tried to stay in the air as long as possible so that he wouldn't destroy the glass and attacked mostly with his sword and guns. The demons were no match for him; a son of Sparda. He could easily be a king who ruled over these pathetic creatures but the blonde had a feeling he wouldn't want that. He was more of a stand in the background kind of guy.

Tate and Dante started their return journey back to the demon and managed to find a small shortcut that meant they wouldn't have to fight off even more of those flying bastards. The brunet led the way and killed any stray demons that approached them. Tate tended to stand to the side and only fight when needed which kept her safe and meant she wasn't injured or hurt anymore than she already was from her previous spats with the monsters. The scent of death annoyed her as they trekked back but she didn't say anything or complain. What would be the point, right? There wasn't anything to be done about it so they just carried on in silence without questioning themselves or each other.

"Who's there?" the demon asked with caution once Tate and Dante had returned. She went to hold a hand out for him but remembered that he couldn't see so he wouldn't even know what she was doing. Her hand dropped as she flicked her fringe out of her face.

"We got it, as promised," she smiled and folded her arms. She realised she hadn't even wiped the blood off of her face but she didn't particularly care. It wasn't like the demon would care that she was covered in the blood of evil demons that had tried to swarm him.

"The eye?" he asked excitedly. "You have it? Have you?" Dante passed it to him and the demon carefully put it into place on the side of his head that was missing. Had he built that to enable him to see after he was attacked? Was it given to him by another demon who had taken pity on him? Who knew? Who cared? For all they knew, this demon could kill them as soon as he actually saw who they were. How did they know that they could even trust him?

"I can see! I can see!" he gasped with elation as he turned to get a look at Tate and Dante. His expression didn't change as he assessed them visually. The blonde put her hands in her pockets and gave him a tight lipped smile, more out of politeness than anything. "Dante… Tate…"

Dante became intrigued, curious even, as he shifted to face the demon fully. Tate was also interested in how this demon knew them but not as much as the devil hunter was. She felt that burning itch in her back intensify a little and frowned. What was wrong with her body? Was it because she was underwater in Limbo?

"You know me?"

"No, I knew your father, Sparda. I can see him in you," the creature responded to Dante's question.

"Sparda was a demon and I'm nothing like him,' the brunet replied defensively. It was obvious that he didn't want to be associated with only the demon half of himself and Tate respected that. He wanted to be known as the Nephilim that he was, not as a demon. He was nothing like those monsters that ripped people apart for sport or ruled over vast empires and abused their power.

"Dante, I think he was just trying to pay you a compliment," she spoke softly. The demon bowed his head to her then returned his attention to Dante.

"You are a Nephilim. I can see that too," he added in agreement. The devil hunter was somewhat satisfied with that answer and moved onto his next question.

"What are you?"

The demon grew more confident and Tate couldn't help but think it was because he was more certain now that neither of them were going to try and hurt him or take his eye like the Harpies had.

"Phineas. Scholar, inventor, prophet…"

"Demon." Tate watched their exchange, prepared to jump in and intervene if things looked like they were going to go down hill.

"And until you arrived, political prisoner Mundus. I am grateful," Phineas informed them. Dante's response showed that he was in no sort of mood to mess around or waste time now that they were so close to killing Bob Barbas and taking him off air for good. After that, the path would be clear for them to take on Mundus and destroy him and his disgusting empire of demonic manipulation and ruling over humans who feared him.

"It wasn't a favour," the devil hunter spoke bluntly. "You said you'd take me to that tower."

"Of course, my friend, of course. This way," the scholar replied and led them away from the Harpies nest.

Along the way, Phineas recounted how he was imprisoned by Mundus and how long he'd been imprisoned for. Some of the tales he told of the ways demons were punished for small crimes were saddening and left Tate feeling sorry for them. However, she could never bring herself to regret killing any of them or humiliating them before death by defeating them in battle. Being beaten by a mere human? That must have been a blow to the ego right before dying. The last thing those monsters saw was Tate. That knowledge made her feel more powerful and stronger than she actually was. Made her feel like she had control over something. As soon as they got to the bridge, Dante began to protest and held Phineas back from the floating debris.

"Whoa! Are you nuts?" the brunet exclaimed incredulously. Phineas stared at him momentarily before deciding to give an explanation.

"I forget. You and I see things differently. Seeing things different can open new paths." Dante shook his head and shrugged his shoulders apathetically. The blond rolled her eyes and palmed her forehead in exasperation.

"For god's sake, Dante, its obvious. He's saying that you need a more open-minded perception," she sighed. Phineas nodded then turned to the debris and adjusted his robotic eye. A green light emanated from it that rearranged all the debris to recreate the bridge. They agreed to meet Phineas over the other side then made their way over.

Tate was learning, as the minutes ticked by, that Limbo was a peculiar place. Everything was much more colourful and bright here yet… it was still dark and intimidating. It was eerie but beautiful too. Even places as demonic and sinister as Limbo held captive beauty if you learned to appreciate the quirks and the negatives. She and Dante found Phineas at the age of the metal grid platform and, a little further away, was a statue that had been tipped upside down. The blonde knew this must have been important if Phineas had told them to meet here specifically

"Her name was Assiel. An ancient one. Nephilim like you," he started. Dante just nodded.

"I didn't know there were others."

"The Nephilim were the third race. Sadly, they were hunted down and slain. They wielded the power of both angels and demons. But unlike them, the Nephilim could easily cross roads. They were formidable!" the scholar enthused with excitement. Dante's head tilted and Tate herself could feel the weight of expectation on his shoulders.

"Which made them a threat. Like me," he added in.

"And like you, they held great potential. What a waste. You want to reach your full potential? Perhaps Assiel holds the key," Phineas suggested slyly, gesturing to the statue. Dante glided through the air towards it whilst Tate remained behind. She turned to Phineas and sighed, ready to wait for Dante.

Whilst she waited for the devil hunter to find the key (she had no idea what the key even was), she stood with Phineas in silence. Well, it was silence until she felt that she needed to speak up. Phineas knew her for some reason, yet he hadn't explained why. She couldn't remember ever meeting a demon like him and she knew that she'd have some memory or knowledge of their meeting if she had. The scholar gave her a knowing look and she took a deep breath. This was her chance to find out the truth and make sure the Succubus hadn't just been trying to mess with her head.

"You can sense things about me, can't you? You can sense that I'm not a human," she murmured. Phineas nodded and, surprisingly, she felt nothing. She thought she'd feel surprised or betrayed by her parents for never telling her but instead she felt nothing. Maybe she was just in shock which was why she didn't feel anything.

"You are not completely human, no. Your mother was an angel who betrayed the order of things and had a child with a human. You are what some legends would call a Nephilim of sorts but not as powerful as one such as Dante. Many call you Half-Breeds," he explained to her. So… she was a type of Nephilim too? But not like Dante or Vergil. Did either of them sense that she wasn't a human? Why didn't Vergil ever tell her that he sensed she wasn't completely human? She needed to have serious words with him as soon as she got back from Limbo.

After a while, Dante returned to them but he seemed… different. Something inside him had changed and she could sense it. It was like he'd discovered and accepted a part of himself that he hadn't realised was inside him before. Was this the key that Phineas had mentioned? The key that Assiel held?

"That was wild," he grinned as he came closer to them. Tate rolled her eyes and chuckled at him. Still the same old Dante then.

"You found your inner devil all right. But you have yet to discover your full potential," Phineas hummed as he inspected the back of Dante's head. She hadn't even notice that a patch of his hair had turned white until just then. Was that part of him finding his inner devil? The blonde tried to picture him with white hair like his brother's and a small smile came to her face. They'd be exactly identical then but she preferred the devil hunter the way that he looked now.

"Mainly, I just want to kill a demon king named Mundus," Dante told the scholar. Phineas seemed amused by this when he asked his next question.

"And if you do kill Mundus… who will take his place?"

She had never really considered this. Who would be the one to take Mundus place once he was gone? Someone would need to keep the demons in their place and without Mundus there would be no-one to restore order. Those monsters would roam free and do whatever the hell they liked whenever they liked.

"No-one. We'll find a way to control those beasts when the time comes," she spoke emotionlessly. Phineas shook his head as he began wandering away.

"I am no longer suited to violence," he told them. "I cannot proceed."

"Thank you, Phineas," Dante expressed his appreciation and the blonde nodded to show she was grateful for what he'd done for them too.

"It wasn't quite a favour. I want to see Mundus destroyed… and now I believe you may stand a chance."

"What made you change your mind?" the devil hunter questioned him.

"You were right. You are not just like your father. I see your mother in you too. You want to hit Mundus hard. This is how. Mundus has power almost beyond limit. But… he has one weakness." So Mundus had a weakness, like everyone else? Fuck yeah! This was the information she'd been looking for! This was what Vergil had sent her to find out and now she didn't have to face Bob Barbas. Yes, it was selfish to leave Dante on his own like this but she didn't want to be in Limbo any longer.

"What is it?" she enquired eagerly. Phineas held up a hand to slow her down and she smiled apologetically.

"His mistress, Lilith," he informed them both. Was he for real? Mundus wasn't capable of love. Why the hell would he give a shit about one of his whores?

"His weakness is that he loves her?" the brunet questioned. The scholar laughed heartily, head thrown back. Dante always saw humanity, even where it didnt exist. It was sweet, really. But also a weakness. A blind spot. The blonde paid close attention as she waited for the scholar to continue.

"Mundus? Love? No, my friend. Yet, she has recently become the most important thing in creation to him. This is what I have seen. Lilith, his mistress, carries his child. His heir. You want to hurt Mundus? Kill Lilith. Kill the child. Nothing will hurt him more."

Tate was already gone by the time he'd finished speaking.


	8. Chapter 8

Vergil paced, concern increasing the longer Tate and Dante were gone. He'd spent so many years without his twin and now that he had him back he was unwilling to let him go again. They would soon bring Mundus to his knees using whatever information Tate gathered on him as well as disposing of the demon kings lackies. And then there was the matter of the blonde girl herself. She'd been loyal to him somewhat, even if she did disobey him constantly. However, it was this particular quality that had drawn him to her in the first place. He so clearly remembered the day that they first met.

Tate had been stupid enough at the time to attack him and think that she could defeat him. She was a mere human with no experience of combat. What was she able to do to a Nephilim such as himself? Well, that was what he thought until they actually fought against each other. She was tougher than he first expected, though still easy to beat, and she had given him the spark and the fire he needed to continue on his journey. He saw something in her that day that had peaked his interest and intrigued him. He could sense that she was different to the humans that mindlessly followed Mundus empire and order. Tate knew about the existence of demons and he knew he had to recruit her once she told him of how she watched the bastards rip apart her girlfriend right in front of her. There was no reason behind the attack which had made it much worse and less forgivable. They both had a common goal; to destroy the one who had brought an end to their perfect lives.

The white-haired man wasn't sure when along the way he'd grown an attachment to this girl. At first, she had just been a tool he could use to forward his plans. But now? She was more than just a tool. She was a friend and, dare he say it, just as important to him as his own brother. The blonde was rough around the ages, just like Dante, but she also had a sensitivity about her that brought out the humanity and good within. Sure, she was stubborn and disobedient and had a temper that neither man nor demon would want to be on the receiving end of, but she was also caring and kind and perceptive. She had built up a good relationship with Kat and this enabled them to work together well respectively. But it wasn't just that. She had also earned a place close to Vergil's heart. He'd thought it strange and peculiar how a demon such as Sparda could fall in love with an angel such as Eva, but now all he had to do was look at Tate and he'd know why. Humanity may have been a weakness at times but it was also strength and power. Humans never gave up, even in the face of defeat, and that was their greatest weapon against all evil that opposed them. Tate may have had her flaws but she was also the strongest human hed ever met (aside from Kat of course. They were both strong women in their own rights). And even when he'd found out about the blonde's true past and heritage, he still could not bring himself to stop caring. It didn't change her personality or her desire to destroy Mundus for good. It just meant that she could be of use to him as well as someone he wanted to remain by his side once this was all over.

Maybe, in the end, that was all he would need to find his inner peace.

***

"Tate!"

The blonde stopped and turned to see Dante was trying to keep up with her. Ugh, she had no time for this!

"Yes?"

"Come with me. I could use some help defeating Bob Barbas," he insisted. Tate let out a sigh. She just wanted to go home but the angel inside of her wanted instinctually to go and kill that son of a bitch. Was that why she'd been able to rely on her instincts so much during fights in the past? Because the angelic blood that coursed through her veins told her how to kill and slay these monsters? Killing Barbas began to sound far more appealing than it should have.

"Alright," she sighed in defeat, "I'll come with. Don't expect me to be happy about it though. I was going to find a way home." Gabriel would just have to wait for the time being, huh?

Together, Dante and Tate made their way across the upside down bridge towards the Raptor News Tower. It looked bigger and more intimidating than it probably was but it didn't stop them from approaching with such confidence. The searchlights from the tower finally passed over the bridge and emanated a stream of energy that obliterated the bridge. The blonde flicked her fringe, Dante smirking smugly as if a trap had been activated just as he planned it to be.

"Good. I finally have your attention," he sniggered and they both made a break for it, leaping and gliding from platform to platform. Something within Tate allowed her to glide and she put it down to her knowledge of what manner of being she truly was. Dante noticed it too but he said nothing as they tried to get to the tower as quickly as they could. It wasn't easy, in fact it was fucking hard, but they just about managed to get inside the building.

"What the fuck is this shit?" the blonde snorted as she looked around. The whole inside of this place followed the Raptor News Network colour scheme, platforms of white and silver floating in the air whilst the area surrounding them was blue and red. The network logo drew closer to a large black and red globe that was supposed to represent the planet Earth. It was certainly an acquired taste in terms of décor but hey, to each his own, right?

Breaking through the surface of the globe, Tate and Dante landed in some sort of dark and empty circular room. It was silent in here and the blonde was about to suggest they turn back when, suddenly, orange lights emanated up from the floor and a dark, deep laugh boomed throughout the entire room. A face appeared in front of them, a massive one at that. Tate immediately recognised it as that pile of shit, Bob Barbas, and sneered as she tried to restrain herself from attacking straight away. Barbas was smart and would know that she was there to try and kill him.

"This is Bob Barbas, just doin' God's work," Barbas spoke in a deepened, more demonic version of the voice he used on TV. He stared down at the two of them and Tate couldn't help but feel like this could count as some sort of breech of personal space. The face was replaced with a familiar news screen with Bob Barbas sat behind his desk calmly. The blonde tried not to lunge and try to attack this asshat for ruining her day-to-day life. Fucking dick.

"Hey Bob. Put a spin on this," Dante taunted as he flipped Barbas off. On the screen, Bob leaned forward and began to speak as if he were covering a news supplement for the entire Nation to see.

"My personal view on the terrorists is that they are disgusting, degrading, ghastly, sleazy, prurient, and generally nauseating… The worst of them are Dante and Tate. The whole world would benefit greatly by their non-existence," he spoke as he looked directly at them. Ouch, that totally hurt. Not.

"Breaking news; you're going off air, honey," she threatened the demon and he sniggered as if he were only being threatened by a four or five year old.

"You think so? I wouldn't bet on it, you little bitch!" he exclaimed before changing back into the large face from before. Dante immediately began shooting at it and trying to find a way to kill Barbas but the guns didn't really seem like much use. Tate glanced around and tried to find a way ton help out. How was she supposed to help Dante when she had no weapons to fight with or-

"Shit!"

Tate was thrown to the floor by something that felt like a wall of energy. She felt herself cough up blood as her body tried to heal itself the best that it could. Jesus fuck, that was painful! She felt herself getting light headed as blood oozed from her side. She attempted to hide it as she got up and felt her anger and fury bubble away inside her as her back tingled once more. She felt something grow out of her back and it tore through her jacket as she swallowed back the blood she was bringing up. With a smirk, she felt herself becoming less human and more… something else. The room went slightly darker as Dante ran forward and attacked the son of a bitch with his sword. He hacked at the large head until they were both transported to what looked like the pier and fairground where they'd first met. Tate ran and hid behind a trash can as she watched Dante go toe to toe with the demons that were summoned. Meanwhile, Barbas narrated and spewed slanderous statement and lies about the devil hunter and his past. Of course he'd twist the facts and make the brunet out to be a criminal and a disgusting low life that constantly broke the laws. Okay, so maybe he probably did break a few laws but he was nowhere near as bad as Barbas made him out to be.

They were once again taken back to the dark room and Dante looked Tate over briefly but with clear shock and surprise. At first, she was unsure of what he was looking at but then she glanced over her shoulder and gasped when she saw the back, leathery wings. They weren't angel wings but who cared? She'd rather have these bad boys than the stereotyped angel wings any day. At the sound of Bob getting mad and unleashing walls of energy, she leapt up and flapped her wings but fell back to the ground again. Shit, this was going to take some getting used to. The blonde dodged another wall of energy as Dante attacked the demon unrelentlessly. Suddenly, the atmosphere became white and red and she gasped when she saw the devil hunter. His hair had turned stark white, skin almost as pale to match, but his clothing had turned a bloody red. He delivered critical blow after critical blow until they were once again transported away, this time to the Virility factory. The atmosphere went back to how it was and this time Tate joined the fight. She listened to civilians clearly reciting slander about the brunet as they slayed the demons together and then Barbas started commenting on how both of them were associated with the Order. Great. Trust her dumb, stupid mind to fixate on worrying about Vergil and Kat straight away. She really needed to get her emotions back in check again.

Dante and Tate reappeared in the room from before and she watched as Barbas head turned into a broadcasting screen once again. Bob appeared on the screen behind her desk and she wiped at some of the dried blood on her face, feeling it crumble beneath her finger tips.

"I interrupt this broadcast to bring you breaking news. The terrorist organisation responsible for the recent attacks has been located and is being stormed by SWAT teams as I speak," he spoke clearly and concisely. Tate heard Dante whisper a no, seeing the dread manifesting upon his face as he stared up at the screen. She turned her attention back to it and her blood ran cold when images of SWAT teams surrounding their headquarters appeared.

"Shit!" she hissed, her heart stopping for a moment when pictures of Vergil and Kat replaced the footage. No… please, no…

"Two of the terrorists identified in these images are known to be in the compound." The image of Kat took up the screen, Terrorist Wanted appearing as the headline underneath. Not, Kat. Anyone but her. She didn't deserve this life and now she was at risk of dying because of them. Fucking fuck!

"Bastards!" Dante growled, seething with rage as he clenched his fists and sneered at the screen.

"A third and fourth terrorist have been cornered in another part of the city in a police raid. Rest assured. Those responsible will be brought to justice at any moment, dead or alive. This is Bob Barbas of the Raptor News Network. Just doin' God's work," the demon finished off his report with images of Tate and the devil hunter displayed on the screen.

Barbas' head returned again and seemed even angrier now than last time. Dante and Tate both worked together to hit Barbas where it hurt and Dante shot the final bullets that put an end to the bastard. Good. Nobody harmed Kat or Vergil and got away with it. She felt herself and Dante being taken back to the human world and watched as Barbas' human vessel fell to the floor, dead. Good riddance, the fucking bastard. He deserved what he got in the end. Besides, he'd be breaking news. She was sure he'd like that.

"C'mon, we need to get out of here," the blonde said and led the way out of the building. She felt her wings shrink and retract back into her body and gritted her teeth to hold back her whimpers of pain. It felt horrible but she knew that she couldnt have her wings out in public. The humans didn't need to know about the existence of such foul beings as demons like Mundus and Barbas.

Arriving where they needed to be, the stood upon a roof opposite headquarters and stared down at the scene below. Thankfully, SWAT teams hadn't gone in yet which meant they still had a chance to get Vergil and Kat out of their. She knew Kat would be Dante's main priority as she was human and unable to protect herself against guns or weapons whereas Vergil would most likely survive any harm they'd inflict upon him.

"We've gotta get to them first," Dante murmured with determination and Tate nodded in agreement. She absentmindedly fondled the necklace that Vergil had placed around her neck and remembered that she hadn't even gone to see Gabriel. Ah well. That was the least of their worries right now when their loved ones were in danger. Loved ones… would she even consider Vergil to be one of her loved ones? He was definitely important to her so maybe he was a loved one. She wasn't so sure yet but she was aware that she could actually harbour feelings for the man. They could figure that out later, when the current crisis was averted.

"Let's go. I can lead the way; I have a good idea of where they'll be inside the compound," she informed Dante. The brunet nodded and they jumped from the edge of the roof to behind the chain-link fence. As soon as they landed, they were pulled into Limbo and swarmed by demons. Tate's wings re-grew and she felt strength return to her as she went after some of the bastards. Dante went for the Butcher that barrelled towards them and pulled her back when he demon exploded. Well, that was certainly one way to deal with defeat, albeit an interesting one.

"Dammit They're breaking in from Limbo too!" Dante muttered and they made their way up to the roof so they could drop into the building. Tate could sense that they were close by.

She just hoped it wasn't already too late to save them both.


	9. Chapter 9

Voices from the human world reached Tate's ears as she and Dante searched for Vergil and Kat. Her heart thumped in her chest as they searched for them, looking away when she made out the shapes of a SWAT team member chasing after one of the researchers that had been helping them gather intel on the demons. He was a good man with a wife and three kids and he'd joined the Order to rid the world of evil so that his children would have a chance at a good and honest life. The sounds of bullets lodging into him made her whimper and cover her face. How was Dante able to bear seeing that? Then again, he didn't know them. He didn't have the emotional connection to them that she had.

"Come on, Tate," he encouraged softly and she just nodded. Her wings disappeared once again as they ran through the corridors in search of the psychic. They called out her name in hopes of her hearing and responding to them but received no response in return. This was getting worrying now. She heard saws and loud bangs, glancing down from a ledge to see a Butcher trying to break through a wall. The graffiti of a sigil designed to keep demons out was obviously done by Kat. Tate felt proud of her friend for her quick thinking.

They jumped down and worked together to eliminate the demons that tried to attack them, working in sync to devastate the bastards and tear them apart in gory glory. Tate was glad once the fuckers were dead and she saw that her clothes were smeared in their blood and parts of their inner organs. The scent was disgusting but hell did it feel good to be covered in evidence of hers and Dante's fights against the evil scumbags. Tate listened to what was going on in the human world and ran a bloodied hand through her hair.

"The female has locked the perimeter doors. We're blasting them open," one of the soldiers barked at his men. The blonde bit her lip anxiously and looked around with Dante, searching for the psychic. There was a loud explosion that shook the ground and the doors flew off of the wall to allow the pair into the next part of the building. She scowled as she listened to them talking about taking Kat and Vergil dead or alive and that it meant they were wanted dead. Hell no. She wasn't letting some stupid fucking humans stand in the way of freedom and endanger their friends.

"Bitch is near," a growling, demonic voice leered at them as the soldiers blew open the next door and Tate ran through almost as soon as the doors were gone. Everything that was going on here was horrible and merciless. She could practically taste the taint in the air as they continued their search through the building.

"Kat! If you can hear me, hide. Don't let them see you. We're coming for you, okay?" she called to the brunette in the hopes of her hearing through her psychic connection to Limbo. Both of them glanced around and a smirk found its way onto Tate's lips upon finding out that Kat had barricaded the next doors from the inside. That meant that she and Vergil would be safe for a little longer and, ultimately, gave them more time to try and get out of there.

"You can't save her," the demons mocked but Tate refused to believe that. She knew that they could save her if they tried. All they had to do was try the best they could to keep Kat from harm. And Vergil… for now, he could look after himself. A small batch of humans appeared and, once again, Tate and Dante worked together to eliminate the creatures as quickly as possible. Blood was dripping from her hair and her hands but that didn't bother her. It might scare Kat though, which she didn't really want to do, but they could tackle that hurdle once they reached it.

"Whore's gonna die," the voices taunted again and she jumped up to get through the hole at the top of the doors. Dante followed, cursing when more demons appeared. Tate ran ahead to try and look for Kat so that they could get her out of there quicker. Even as she got further away from the devil hunter, the sounds of combat still reached her ears. She sprinted through tunnels and spun round wildly, not knowing where to look. The brunet caught up with her just as panicked and familiar voice found her ears.

"Oh my god they're in! Move, move," one of the medics exclaimed in terror. She knew this man. He'd been the one to patch her up whenever she and Vergil had fought. No, please not him too. How many more comrades did they have to lose today?

"Get out! The place is overrun!" Dante shouted for Kat, the blonde feeling a pulling sensation inside her as if to tell her where Kat was. She ordered him to follow, grabbing his wrist, and pulled him along behind her in search of the psychic and their leader. She could make out the shapes of soldiers in the corridors and her chest tightened with the fear of knowing they could find the others at any moment and apprehend them before either killing them or torturing them then killing them.

Countless demons ambushed them in the final room they went into. Tate felt the blade of a Butcher skim her arm and her blood splashed onto the floor. With a hiss, she grabbed the blade and used it as a large shuriken to throw and slice through the other demons whilst Dante took care of the asshole demon. Her skin tingled and stung but the bleeding was already beginning to slow so she assumed that her angel half was working overtime to try and heal her at the moment. With the demons dead, they both turned to double back but only to find a strange demon in a red mask similar to Vergil's. It stared at them in silence and Tate gulped. She'd heard of demons like this before. They were like samurai assassins and formidable opponents, almost impossible to kill.

"What are you smiling at?" the devil hunter spat bitterly before it charged at them. Dante dodged out of the way as it ran into a portal then reappeared in another location. The blade of its sword whistled past the brunet and Tate used her wings to fly up into the air so that it couldn't get her. She was still a bit clumsy when it came to using the wings but she had already improved enough that she could hover for a minute or so. Dante activated his devil trigger to deal some heavy blows to the peculiar monster before it retreated back into its portal and didn't return. Tate landed, her wings shrinking and retracting again and they ran through into the library.

Finally, they saw Kat and ran over to where she was crouched behind some desks. Horror and fear were etched all over her face and Tate felt both unsettled and furious that someone could make her feel like this in the place that she called home.

"Kat… Kat!" Dante called. The psychic glanced up and closed the small distance they'd left between them and her hiding place. She looked so relieved that she could cry.

"Dante? Tate?" she whimpered in questioning as she approached them .

"I'm here," the devil hunter reassured her. Shit, she looked so panicked and hopeless. But… where was Vergil?

"I don't know what to do," the psychic told them. Tate looked around but there was still no sign of the white-haired man. Fuck, fuck, fuck…

"Kat, where's Vergil? We can't leave here without him," she pressed urgently. The brunette shook her head helplessly and the blonde had to hold in her frustration.

"I don't know," she told them quickly. "He's probably in the server room, the Octagon. But he might be trapped in Limbo." If Dante were able to, he probably would have placed his hands on Kat's shoulders to try and keep her focussed and more aware.

"How do we get to him?" he questioned. Tate ran a hand through her hair and pulled it loose from its braids. She could make a small bomb if she needed to and use the bands to hold it together until detonation.

"Dante, she's stuck in the human world. We'll need to find away ourselves."

The devil hunter didnt seem to accept this as an option or an answer, turning to Kat. "Is there something I can do from Limbo to break you out?" he asked. Kat was quiet for a moment. "Think!"

She licked her lips and nodded. "There may be a way. I'll guide you," she told the pair of them and pulled her spray can out of its holder. The psychic made her way over to a stone wall and sprayed a large red circled onto the brick so that Dante could use the demon claw on it and break through.

"The old tunnel? Will that still be there?" Tate questioned the brunette but she wasn't really listening to her. A thundering boom shook the room and The blonde fell away from where she was standing. The soldiers started yelling that they needed more charge and Tate chewed her bottom lip so hard it bled.

"They're breaking in!" Dante exclaimed. Kat led him over to the doors and sprayed a circle upon the beam holding the roof up right next to the doors the soldiers would have to get through.

"I spray, you bring the roof down," she instructed calmly. Tate stood back and bit her thumbnail in anticipation for everything that could go wrong with this plan. Dante did as he'd been instructed and, sure enough, the roof cam down. They all approached the wall once more and Dante used the claw to rip a hole into the wall so they could get through.

The tunnel was just as cold and abandoned as Tate remembered it should be. Vergil had told her many times that only he used this passage to get to the Octagon and she'd always believed him. This just ensured that there could be no doubt of its existence or what he'd said.

"Do you know where this goes?" Dante quizzed Kat as they jogged through the corridors and closer to Vergil.

"I know this place like the back of my hand," the brunette reassured him and Tate broke into a run, taking over the lead. They broke through another wall and continued on their way through the corridor. A sudden explosion made Kat yelp and Dante instructed her to hide and not move. The psychic did as she was ordered and Tate sneered at the asshole soldier.

"Stay there! I don't think he saw you," the devil hunter told her firmly and Kat nodded in silence. One of the soldiers began to approach Kat's hiding place and Tate jogged ahead.

"I'll clear the way and look for Vergil!" she yelled to them and ran the way her instincts told her to go. Her lungs began to ache from how little breathing was occurring but that didn't matter at the moment. She just needed to clear the way so that they could get through. A couple of Vergil's workers were laid down on the ground and told to stay still, guns aimed at their heads. Rage overcame her senses and she leapt up to rip down a beam. Thankfully, the roof didn't collapse but she used it to place on the floor so that the other two would see it and get the idea to bring the roof down again.

Eventually, Tate arrived at the Octagon and she almost cried when she saw Vergil. She watched as he backed up towards the computers, a Butcher narrowly missing his head with a blade. Her blood boiled as she picked her short sword up from Vergil's desk and lunged towards the monster. She swung the sword, only for her weapon to snap in half. Fucking typical. The one time she gets the chance to show that women can be the saviours to men as well as the other way around and she fucks it up by letting her sword break. Yes, this was definitely a momentous day and a great rescue mission.

"Tate! Get out of here, now!" Vergil barked at her. The blonde glanced around and backed away from the demon as she formulated a plan in her head. Her wings extended out and from her back and she flew upwards away from the Butcher as it charged towards her. It crashed into the wall and she promptly landed before running over to where Vergil was stood. Her wings folded up for a moment as the white-haired man ran his fingers over the leathery skin delicately. Feeling his gloved fingertips against her wings for the first time, as the first hands to touch her wings, she shivered and made her wings shrink down and retract completely.

Vergil suddenly pushed Tate behind him as he drew his Yamato from its sheath, the Butcher stomping slowly towards them. He moved the blade with lightning speed and she watched as a magical barrier began to form that would stop the demon from getting in. At that moment, Dante entered the room. The brunet yelled at the Butcher to distract it and, thankfully, it worked as the demon turned away from them.

"Dante! Are you crazy? What are you doing here?" Vergil questioned his twin as Dante began to fight the Butcher. Tate could just about make out a grin on the brunet's face as he dodged an attack.

"Busting you out of here, bro," he responded as he used his weaponry to destroy the monstrosity. It exploded in no time and Dante jogged over to the barrier, Vergil stepping closer to his brother.

"Thank you, Dante," the white-haired male breathed, obviously grateful. Tate smiled her thanks and nodded to which Dante threw a wink at her to try and make her relax somewhat. The barrier disappeared for a moment and the blonde made out the shape of Kat coming closer. Vergil turned to her and the relief that showed on his face was enough to assure Tate that Kat did mean more to him than just a psychic who could do magic.

"Kat! You're still alive!" he exclaimed. Before Kat could say anything, the devil hunter interjected.

"Is there a way out of here?"

Vergil nodded confidently. "Yes. There's an emergency gate. I'll take you there," he informed his twin. Tate went to walk away and flicked her hair over her shoulders.

"Alright, let's get out of here then," she sighed, only to be met by resistance and protest.

"No, not yet," Vergil insisted. With a huff, she turned around and returned to him. She called him a dick under her breath but he didn't respond.

"Verge-"

"There are terabytes of sensitive data here. We cannot let them get their hands on it," he explained. Actually… that did make sense. They couldnt leave here without the information and intel that they needed.

"Okay. Kat, we need you to arm the self-destruct sequence. We can't do it here in Limbo," the blonde instructed just as the sounds of someone trying to cut through the doors reached them. Shit, the soldiers were almost here. Tate bit her lip and felt Vergil grip her hand discretely, trying to hide her behind him. She didn't need the protection but she was exhausted and had no weapon to fight with anymore. She didn't feel like breaking her knuckles trying to punch in the face of every demon they came across.

"The demons are breaking in. We don't have time for this," Dante argued and Vergil finally snapped.

"Then make time, Dante!" he yelled angrily before ordering Kat to arm the self-destruct now. Tate watched as the barrier erected itself once again and then turned back to the brunette at the computers.

"It's alright, Kat. Vergil will guide you threw it, okay?" she smiled and Kat nodded obediently before following Vergils instructions.

"How long do you guys need?" Dante questioned. Tate turned to him and saw that he was watching them intently.

"Just a couple of minutes, hopefully. I'll come out there and help if I need to," she informed him and he immediately dived into a fight.

Soon, a couple of minutes turned into much longer as Kat went through the lengthy process of backing the serves up onto a disk and arming the self-destruct as she did so. Tate felt very tense, sweat beading down her forehead as she tried to blot out the sounds of combat coming from behind them. Vergil talked Kat through each step she needed to take and the blonde kept an eye on Dante in case he got overrun. An idea struck her and she nudged Vergil to tell him. He gave the nod of approval, handing her his gun and she spun back round to find Dante.

"Yo, Dante! Catch!"

She threw the gun and the devil hunter caught it before using it to destroy the tougher demons that took longer to dispose of. The blonde glanced up at the monitors and winced at how much process the SWAT team had made in cutting open the doors.

"How are you guys doing?" Dante questioned them. Vergil was the one to answer him this time.

"Two more minutes Dante." The brunet clearly wasn't impressed by the answer as he bit back impatiently.

"Vergil, I can keep the demons off your back for as long as you need, but I can't protect Kat from the feds. Step on it!" he demanded as he fought. Tate gently rubbed Vergil's back.

"Two more minutes is all we need," she promised.

Finally, the process was complete. The demons were dead and the servers were ready to self-destruct in a couple more minutes. They stepped away from the computer screens and rejoined Dante, only for the sounds of the SWAT team cutting through to get louder. They were almost through now which meant that they needed to get out of there as quickly as possible. Tate saw the look on Kat and Vergil's faces and realised that they'd have to leave Kat behind. They couldn't take her with them because she wasn't in Limbo which meant that… which meant that she could… no, no, no, not this time. Tate wasn't going to let someone else she cared about die on her. After watching her girlfriend being torn to shreds in front of her very eyes, she couldn't let it happen. But what else could they do? There was nothing they could do to save her whilst they were in Limbo.

"They're almost through,' Kat murmured in resignation and Tate's chest clenched.

"Let's go, you two," Vergil muttered but Tate held his arm to stop him walking away. Even though they couldn't do anything, wasn't there something that they could try?

"Vergil, please, we can't leave her here," she pleaded softly and she watched Vergil's expression turn melancholic.

"There's no way out for me in the real world, Tate. You know that," Kat told her. The blonde shook her head in denial and Dante agreed with the blonde.

"We can't just leave her," he spoke and Vergil sized up to him.

"Think, Dante! We're in Limbo, she's in the real world. His place is gonna blow in any minute."

"Please," Tate whimpered as tears filled her eyes. Kat was the closest person to a sister she'd ever had. She understood what it was like to have demons in your home and to be tortured by unholy nightmares of your past. She was there for her from the day they met and now she had to leave her here?

"There's nothing we can do. Let's go!" Vergil stated. Dante took a step towards Kat, Tate releasing their leader's arm.

"Go ahead. I'll be right behind you," the brunet told them both. Before Vergil could argue, Tate held a finger up to his lips. Despite the situation, he looked down at her in surprise.

"I'll join you in a minute. Just let me say goodbye to her. Please, Verge," she whispered tenderly. Vergil said nothing but nodded and moved away a little so they would have some privacy.

Tate watched him go then turned back around to face Kat. She could already feel a tear slipping down her cheek and wiped her eyes, not caring that dried blood was now on her eyelashes. She bit her lip and reached out to the psychic before remembering that she wouldn't be able to touch her. This was probably the worst way to say goodbye.

"Okay listen to me. We don't have much time," Dante started as he looked at Kat. "Get down on your knees. Put your hands up. Do NOT fight back." Tate got on her knees and put her hands behind her head like Kat and Dante did. The feds were coming closer and closer to getting in. Tate shook as she tried to hold back her sobs.

"I'm scared. What will they do to me?" Kat whispered in terror. Tate didn't even want to think about what they could do to her once they entered.

"All you need to do is hold on for as long as you can. I will come back for you," Dante vowed. Tate licked her lips.

"Do whatever you can. Escape to Limbo if you have to. Just don't give them a reason to hurt you, she added.

Tate grimaced when the doors exploded and she watched the SWAT team storm the place, guns aimed right at Kat. The psychic pleaded for them not to shoot and cried out in agony when they shot her anyway. Her body hit the floor and Tate screamed. Dante got down on his hands and placed a hand over one of Kats before her body was taken away. The blonde jumped and tried to chase after them but felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist, preventing her from going.

"No! P-please don't take her away from me!" she begged and reached a hand out as if trying to take Kat back. She was lifted over a shoulder and she yelled and pounded the person's back, recognising Vergil's coat as he and Dante took her to the gate. The three of them got in as the servers exploded. Vergil gripped her tightly and Tate cried into his neck as they held each other, the feeling of being transported back to the real world meaningless as she felt herself become numb from the shock of what had happened.


	10. Chapter 10

"Say the name."

Kat didn't stir or say a word as she sat limply in the chair. She was unmoving until she started to awaken and gasped slightly.

"Say the name!"

Tate didn't want to watch anymore but she wanted to see for herself that her friend wasn't harmed too badly. It was obvious that Kat was injured, unable to move very much, but other than that it wasn't very clear how badly she was actually hurt. For all she knew, the psychic's legs could have been damaged or she could have suffered from blunt force trauma to the head. The atmosphere was tense and nobody made any sound as they waited for what Kat would say, if she said anything at all. Seeing the bruises and how dirty the brunette was made Tate feel rage simmering in the pit of her stomach. If they were keeping her captive, they should at least take care of her.

"Vergil…" Kat murmured, still not moving. Tate held her breath as Mundus walked slowly into the frame, caressing the side of Kat's face with sickening gentleness that made the blonde want to be sick.

"Vergil. I don't know who you are, or why you have been stupid enough to attack me," Mundus started, touching the top of the brunette's head and looking down at her with disdain. He tilted her head back roughly and the blonde narrowed her eyes. "But I know you mean something to this girl, so I suspect this girl means something to you."

"Bastard," she muttered under her breath when the demon king carelessly let Kat's head drop back to the position it had been in before. He would pay for hurting Kat.

"I also know that you are collaborating with the Nephilim, he continued as he got down on his knees and clasped the brunette's shoulder. I want the Nephilim. You want the girl. We trade their lives." The video ended and Tate ran a hand through her hair as she tried to process what she had just seen. Was Mundus seriously suggesting that they trade Kat for Dante? She knew that she'd never be able to make that choice, she was absolutely positive that Vergil would refuse to give up his own brother for the psychic.

"Interesting," the white-haired male murmured. Tate moved from her seat as Dante glanced down at his brother.

"Interesting?" he repeated, questioning him. Vergil got up from his chair in thought and walked around a little.

"Mundus knows less than I thought. He knows my name, but that's it: not that I am your brother, nor that I am Nephilim or who Tate is," he elaborated and the blonde moved with Dante to the laptop. She could see that the devil hunter was worried deeply about Kat and it warmed her heart that he cared so much about her in so little time. He was so grateful for every bit of help that she would give to them all.

"She must have been strong to hold out," the brunet whispered, eyes fixed on the laptop screen. Tate rubbed his shoulder comfortingly but he shrugged it off.

"Yes, she did well… but we cant save her."

The two of them turned to face Vergil as he did the same. Dante furrowed his brows whilst Tate licked her lips. Tension began to build and it put her at unease.

"What do you mean?" Dante quizzed as they both approached each other. Vergil had a look of confusion on his face as if what he meant was completely obvious.

"You can't seriously think I would trade your life for hers?" he snorted. Tate held her hand up as she remembered what Phineas had told herself and Dante back at the Raptor News Tower in Limbo. She knew what they could do but it went against what she wanted them to do with the information.

"Vergil-"

"Apart from the fact that you're my brother, you're the key to destroying Mundus!" the white-haired male exclaimed, interrupting the blonde. She quirked a brow and folded her arms. Was he seriously using the plan as an excuse not to rescue Kat?

"We're not saying trade her for me. We're saying offer another trade: Kat for Mundus' mistress, Lilith," Dante told him. So he'd remembered Phineas' words too. Good.

Vergil sighed and shrugged. Of course, he didn't know about Lilith. They never got the chance to tell him when they got back from Limbo which meant he never got the information about her and the child.

"Why would Mundus care about one of his whores?" he questioned, confused. Tate placed a hand on their leader's shoulder to get his attention and he glanced down at her.

"She carries his spawn. His child," she told him. There was a momentary pause as Vergil became dumbstruck. This was probably the first time she'd seen him so stunned and surprised. Then again, it wasn't the sort of thing you'd expect to be told.

"What? How can you know this?"

"When we were at the tower, we met a demon named Phineas. He told us," the devil hunter responded. Dante grabbed one of his guns from the shelf beside him and made sure it was locked and loaded, ready to go. Vergil nodded as it began to sink into his brain. Tate could already see what plans he was formulating just by looking at him.

"Yes, I've heard that name. This is amazing! We have access to Mundus' unborn child? This is exactly what we need to get him out of his lair!" he smiled. Oh. To say that Tate was disappointed would have been an understatement. He wasn't supposed to use this information to get him away from the Hell Gate. They needed to use this to save their friend.

"No! We use this to save Kat!" Dante yelled as he slammed his gun back down on the shelf. The blonde backed away from the twins as Vergil spun round to glare at him.

"Dante, that's madness! You would risk the future of mankind for a girl?"

"Isn't that what Sparda did for Eva?" Tate murmured. Both brothers glanced at her and Vergil's expression softened slightly. "Sparda did what was right by himself and his family. If he hadn't, then neither of you would be here right now to be able to save mankind from Mundus."

"Kat put herself through hell to protect us! We'll find another way to get Mundus," Dante added after a moment.

"Dante!" the white-haired male sighed but was silenced by the cold, hard stare he received from the devil hunter. Tate gulped, unsure about what could happen if they got into a fight about this.

"I am not abandoning her."

Vergil didn't look away or blink as he answered with a calm, even tone of voice. "I can see that. Okay. We'll do it your way, brother."

***

Tate laid back on the long, leather sofa that was currently unoccupied. Vergil had sent Dante to Lilith's club downtown to retrieve the whore so they could use her for the trade. The white-haired male had stayed behind to make sure Tate didn't try to go out or do anything that would get her hurt or noticed by Mundus. If the demon king noticed her and realised what she was, he'd have her killed too which was something neither of them wanted. She clasped her hands over her stomach and crossed her legs at the ankles. Vergil pulled up a chair beside the sofa and tenderly rested his hand on her shoulder.

"We didn't get to talk much when you came back," he murmured. Tate nodded but didn't sit up, merely turned her head to look at him properly. He wasn't wearing his coat or top hat which made him look a lot more human and less daunting or intimidating. The necklace his mother had given him hung around his neck and contrasted with the muted burgundy of his long-sleeved shirt.

"I'm not a human," she started, trying to find something to start the conversation. "Phineas told me that I'm a Half-Breed; that my mother is an angel." Vergil nodded, unsurprised by what he was told. He squeezed her shoulder and she felt his glove touch the skin of her neck.

"I know. I found out a while back that you aren't human," he told her. This was news to Tate. She frowned at him and sat up a little but still remained laying down.

"Why did you never tell me? You knew all this time and said nothing?" she questioned him. A small smile appeared on his face as he let the backs of his gloved fingers trailed gradually up her neck towards her jaw line. It felt… soothing, somewhat.

"Your past and who you are as a person should be yours to figure out alone. I wanted you to discover for yourself rather than have me tell you, he explained. Well, that definitely made sense and she couldn't be angry at him for that logic.

A sudden shiver ran through her body as she sat up and hugged herself. She wasn't cold but she got a horrible sensation. It was like a feeling that something was off about their situation. Vergil made her lay down again and removed his glove to place his hand to her forehead.

"Rest up. You'll need your energy in case anything goes wrong with the trade," he ordered but with less assertiveness than usual. It was more like he was requesting because he sincerely wanted her to get as much rest as she could. She sighed and ran a hand down her face. Vergil had made her shower before to get all the blood off of her skin and out of her hair. Her clothes were still covered in demonic blood but she felt much cleaner than when she'd come back from Limbo so that was a start.

Tate reached up to take hold of Vergil's hand, gazing up at him. His eyes were focussed solely on her face as his thumb caressed her palm in small circles. It was strangely affectionate and loving for him but it was a welcomed gesture that she enjoyed. His skin was warm against hers and the feather light touch felt much more intimate than she'd expected it to be. How did they come to let emotions show so easily? When they'd first met, he'd trained her to hide all her emotions and let them transform into rage on the battlefield. But, along the way, they'd both allowed their walls to crumble. Maybe Vergil's hadn't fallen as much as hers had, but she could see that he was a little more open when it was just them together now.

"If Mundus ever takes you away… I don't know if I'll be able to remain as distant as I try to be," he admitted in a small voice. This was one of the rare times that she saw his vulnerability on show. On the outside, he was distant and all business. But on the inside, beneath the hardened exterior, he had human emotions and was just as affected by them as Dante was. They were more alike than they seemed to be at first glance.

"I wont let him take me. If we kill Lilith and the child instead of trading her for Kat, he'll be more focussed on getting his revenge than taking anyone else away," she told him. Vergil frowned.

"But how? Dante wants us to trade them for Kat. If we kill them, we don't get Kat back," he replied. Tate shook her head and gave his hand a small squeeze.

"At the trade. We do it at the trade," she suggested. Vergil quirked a brow at her and an intrigued smile appeared on his face as he used his free hand to brush stray strands of hair out of her face.

"I like your thinking. Tell me more."

***

The docks were peaceful as the two vehicles sat a few metres away from each other, facing each other. Neither Vergil nor Dante said a word as the brunet held a gun to Lilith's stomach. The kidnap had been a success and the whore had been little to no trouble for them which was a surprise. Honestly, Tate had expected her to be causing as much trouble as she could but maybe she was so docile because Dante had threatened to kill both her and the child if she didn't co-operate. The blonde sat forwards and rested an arm on the headrest of each seat. She glanced at Dante and then to Vergil and held up her open bag of potato chips.

"Hungry?" she asked. The three sat in front of her just looked at her incredulously and said nothing. Tate rolled her eyes and ate a chip before putting the packet back in her bag. The white-haired male flashed the car lights at the SWAT vehicle to which soldiers jumped out and aimed their guns at the car the four of them were sat in. Vergil grabbed his rifle and stood up so that his upper half was out of the sun roof. Tate was the next to get out of the car and she took a few steps forward with her hood up, stopping to lean against the hood of the car.

The blonde watched as a soldier exited the car, dragging Kat with him. The psychic fell to the floor in pain as she was pushed. Tate tried to conceal her fury at the way they treated her and she knew that Dante would feel the same way too. As Kat tried to get up, Tate heard the door open behind her and glanced over her shoulder to see the devil hunter getting Lilith out of the car. He slammed the door and handed the whore over to the blonde. Kat finally stood up and began to limp slowly over to the car. Just to make sure that Lilith didn't try anything funny or fall over, Tate walked with her as they made their way across. She didn't need to look to know that Dante had his guns aimed at them. Kat's whimpers of agony reached Tate's ears as they gradually approached each other and the way she held herself as she limped made her want to run over and help her but she knew she couldn't do that. Lilith hugged herself as she walked slowly. Kat's steps were small but they finally met in the middle and Tate stopped walking with the whore.

Suddenly, the loud bang of a gunshot echoed through the air and Tate shuddered, eyes closed. She'd known that it was coming, but even then it still disturbed her to know that they'd just killed a child. It didn't matter that they were demon scum, nor that they were Mundus' heir. It was still a child and their life had just been snatched away from them before they were even born.

"What the fuck-" Dante gasped from by the car and Tate forced herself to turn and look. The sight of the gaping hole in Lilith's body and the bone and chunks of flesh on the ground before them was enough to make her vomit in her mouth. Normally, this sort of gore wouldn't have affected her this badly, but the knowledge that parts of what was splattered on the ground was a child made it worse for her.

"Oh no….!" Lilith sobbed as she looked down at her stomach. Tate watched as a bullet shot through her head and she fell to the ground, dead. Kat glanced around frantically and Tate made her run back to the car whilst she pulled out Vergil's gun that Dante had borrowed. The SWAT soldiers shot at them as she backed away to the car, Tate firing shots at them to try and put them off. She heard Dante and Vergil firing their weapons too and continued backing up. One of their bullets shot through a SWAT soldier but only after bullets shot through her chest and her stomach.

"TATE!" Vergil yelled as she fell to the ground. She started to shake and shudder, the shock of being shot and the absolute agony blossoming from where she'd been hit. Someone lifted her up as her eyes fluttered and she glanced up to see that it was Vergil. He ran back to the car as quickly as he could and lay her across the backseats, removing his coat to cover her. Kat got in the back with her and lifted Tate's upper half before lowering her back onto her lap. The psychic pressed down on the coat where it covered the bullet wounds as the white-haired male climbed back into the front seat and shut the door.

"What the Hell did you do that for?" Dante shouted at him. Vergil was emotionless as he threw the gun and sat back down in his seat.

Tate blinked and tried to remain awake as she coughed up blood. Kat gasped and cursed, pressing down harder to try and stem the flow of blood. A quake rippled through the earth and Tate groaned as it jolted the car sharply.

"Ver… Vergil…" she rasped weakly. Her eyesight began to blur and darkened around the edges as she attempted to cling onto her conscience.

"Get them out of here! GO!" Dante demanded loudly as he slammed the door. Vergil put the car into gear and sped off as quickly as he could. The earth shook again and the blonde whimpered.

"Shit! Hold on!" the white-haired male hissed.

Tate didn't get the chance to ask or see what was happening outside as she passed out from pain. The last thing she heard was screaming fading into nothingness.


	11. Chapter 11

Tate grimaced as she sat up, still groggy. She was unsure as to how long she'd been asleep for but she had a fair idea that it had been for a couple of days. She was alone, not knowing where anybody was or where she was for that matter. It looked like Vergil's room but he wasn't in there with her. Glancing down at herself, Tate noticed that she had been put in one of Vergil's burgundy shirts. It was slightly long in the arms but she didn't mind. It added to the comfort and felt better against her injuries than her other clothes would have. It was lighter fabric and allowed for more movement too, meaning it didn't rub or cause irritation.

"Vergil?" she croaked but only to receive no response. The blonde carefully lifted her shirt and bit her lip when she saw that her stomach and chest were heavily bandaged up. Dropping the shirt, she tried to move and get out of bed. A pained gasp left her lips as she swung her legs out of the bed. Thankfully, she was wearing pants. They were a spare pair of her own jeans that were ripped and torn but they were certainly better than nothing.

"Tate, you need to rest."

Glancing up, the blonde saw Vergil and smiled weakly.

"No. What I need is a drink of strong alcohol and to kick a bitch's ass for shooting me," she argued. The white-haired male chuckled and made her lay back down. He covered her with the sheet and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Mundus will pay for harming you. You have my word," he promised in a low voice. Tate nodded and reached out for his hand. He gladly let her hold it and squeezed hers tightly. He was calm, but the blonde could tell that he was trying to hold something back. After almost dying twice this week, she felt that it was time she stopped stalling and tell him about her possible feelings. Ideally, it would have been better to wait until after this was all over, but she didn't want to risk it anymore.

"Vergil, I-"

"I can't lose you, Tate," the white-haired man cut in suddenly. Tate nodded silently and licked her lips. The look in his eyes told her exactly what he wanted to say and she reached her other hand up to press against his cheek. He leaned into the touch, turning his head slightly so his lips would brush against the heel of her palm briefly. It was a small gesture, and a sentimental one, that she took to heart. Vergil wasn't known for displays of emotion so this was something important in her mind.

"I can't lose you either," she replied with a softness to her voice that conveyed the hidden meaning behind her words.

A short while later, Vergil moved away and released her hand. Dante entered with Kat, staying close to her in case she fell or needed to be held steady. She looked much better than she had on camera, which counted for something. She was carrying a piece of chalk and a black chalkboard, still limping but not as bad as she was before. Tate got up, slapping Vergil's hands away when he tried to help her, and she pulled on her jacket which was slung over the arm of a chair. The warmth it brought was comforting and made her feel better already. However, she knew that she had to take it easy even with her angelic healing abilities. She was adamant that she was joining them for this last part of the plan and no-one was going to make her stay behind.

"How are you feeling? You were out for a few days," Kat asked in a gentle voice. The blonde rubbed the psychics shoulder and smiled a little.

"I'm good. Better than when I was last awake and walking around," she answered and the brunette nodded before setting down the chalkboard. She sat in front of it on her knees, drawing out what looked like the layout of a building. Tate joined Vergil and Dante in watching her as she started adding arrows and writing.

"So the Hell Gate is the main source of Mundus' power. It can only be reached from his chamber… You must break into the chamber and close the Hell Gate. Mundus is still weak from his last outburst. This is your chance to defeat him," she told them before launching into her plan. Tate listened intently the entire time, making mental notes of every detail and memorising the diagram that Kat was drawing with the chalk. It sounded like there was a lot that could go wrong but it could work too. She was more than ready for this.

***

With her hood up, Tate followed Vergil as they walked up to the back door of the tower. It was abandoned and quiet, meaning they would be undisturbed as they entered. The pair of them ducked under the low roof of the entrance to the tower and the blonde remained on high alert in case someone followed them or tried to drag either of them into Limbo. The current step of the plan was to get to the security room undetected while Dante created a distraction. It was a risky plan but their hopes were that everything would go smoothly.

"We almost have him," Tate murmured quietly to Vergil as they moved. The white-haired man nodded and she could see the smile on his face.

"Yes. Vengeance is close now," he responded and the joy in his voice was enough to make Tate grin. This was what they'd been working towards for so long now, and they finally had the chance to destroy that piece of shit demon king.

The two of them carried on until they reached a small room. Vergil walked up to a computer and Tate kept an eye out while he hacked into the security systems. She waited until he'd activated the security override and then rejoined him so that they could work on deactivating the camera systems as well. Surprisingly, the inside of this building was very normal looking. The blonde was somewhat disappointed by how ordinary it was in here but what had she been expecting? Mundus' human host was the owner of a bank, of course the inside looked normal. It had to look as convincing for humans as possible.

"Okay, camera systems are out too," the white-haired man told her. Tate nodded and stared at the screen. It just look like a load of codes and numbers to her. Nothing more.

"Right, lets go up to floor 87 and meet Dante. We need to get there ASAP," she suggested. She glanced at Vergil and saw the way he looked at her. It was similar to the way that Dante looked at Kat.

"Thank you," he whispered. Tate frowned as he placed his hands on her shoulders. What was this? What was he doing?

"What for?" she questioned in a whisper. Vergil pressed his lips to her forehead and her eyes widened in surprise. Had she just imagined that? Had he really kissed her forehead? But… he didn't do affection or emotion. Why was he suddenly disregarding his own rules?

"Because you've been here from almost the start to the end. You've been faithful to the Order," he responded and Tate just nodded. She was unsure of how to respond to his sentimentality.

Once they got to floor 87, the doors to the lift opened and an outline of Dante stepped out. Vergil was clearly relieved as he visibly relaxed. The blonde would have been lying if she said she couldn't feel the pressure of what they were doing. They were taking down a demon king. They were killing Mundus. This wasn't going to easy nor was it going to be pretty. Things could get pretty messed up quickly.

"You good, brother?" Vergil addressed his twin. Dante nodded and Tate could see that he was nervous. Both of the twins were, even if the white-haired man wouldn't admit it to anybody.

"Yeah, good," was the brunet's response. Tate nodded to him and he gave her a reassuring smile. Just as they were about to part, she grabbed his wrist.

"If either of us die, I just wanted to thank you for caring about Kat. You think that no-one notices the way that you look at her or treat her but I did. I'm grateful that you treat her as an equal," she confessed. Dante's cheeks reddened ever so slightly and he rubbed the back of his neck as she dropped his wrist.

"Tate, we need to go," Vergil told her. She nodded and they finally parted ways. The white-haired male took hold of her hand and refused to let go as he kept her close to him. The way to the west wing was deserted but Kat wasn't holding out any hopes of the plan going smoothly all the way. It sure would be nice but it was unlikely to happen which put a bit of a downer on the mood.

Upon entering the server room on the west wing, Vergil bee-lined right for the computer that controlled the security system on the east wing. He tapped away at the keys, complete concentration carved into his features. The green light showed up on the screen and they both high-fived, relieved that it had actually worked. Something didn't feel right about this. It shouldn't have been so easy yet disabling the security system had been very light work. There had to be more to this but she trusted Vergil's judgement and had faith in his abilities. If there was a bug or a catch, then it was a cleverly hidden one that they had missed by coincidence. The blonde felt Vergil put an arm around her and blushed faintly when he rested his chin on top of her head. She wasn't used to this sort of thing but she welcomed it all the same. It was the only sort of physical contact she'd be getting for a while, especially if things went to plan. She just hoped that the aftermath wasn't going to be worse than the world they were living in now. But what could possibly make things worse? The demons in Limbo were too low level to be able to manifest in the human world without help and, after defeating Mundus, there would be nobody to bring them to the human world. Vergil eventually set to work on deactivating the next set of security systems. He was halfway there when an alarm went off and Tate cursed. Why did her instincts have to be right? Shit, this was no good. The tampering mechanism had been activated, which meant that Dante was in serious shit if he didn't get through soon. Both of them turned when one of the doors opened up and Tate drew the sword that Vergil had given to her. The white-haired male drew his Yamato and they both charged through the door towards whatever was waiting for them out there. Tate wasn't going down without a fight and neither was Vergil.

One bloody battle later, and the two of them continued on up through the tower. For once, Tate had managed not to get covered in blood which was progress in her eyes. They both made it to the elevator and the doors shut in front of them as they made their way up towards the floor that they'd meet Dante on. All was silent between the two of them but it was a comfortable silence. A silence that didn't need to be filled by words. It wasn't awkward; it was more like a silent conversation between the two of them. The one thing that spoke loudest between them was the way that Vergil kept her close by and kept a hand on the hilt of his katana in preparation for any more opponents they may come across. As soon as they reached the floor they needed to be on, the elevator door opened and they caught sight of Dante.

"Over here," Vergil called to his twin and the brunet jogged over. Tate smiled at the devil hunter, relieved that he was alright.

"We're nearly at the top now,' she beamed. Dante grinned along with her, her own grin seemingly infectious.

'Seems we underestimated Kat," the white-haired male commented upon Dante's arrival. Tate frowned. She hadn't underestimated Kat. She had total faith in her plan and the knowledge she'd gained from her time here. She'd been tortured and gone through so much suffering just to hold out so that she could help them kill Mundus. To her, that made the psychic stronger than the three of them put together.

"I didn't," Dante stated. Vergil's expression changed as he watched his brother with consideration. The blonde could see a slight hint of amusement and wonder in his eyes but couldn't decipher the third emotion she saw. Was it… disappointment? No, it couldn't be. Why would he be disappointed when they were so close to finally reaching their goal?

"You really care about her," he murmured to Dante. "About all of this, you once said you didn't give a shit." The devil hunter gave no response and that was when the silence turned a little awkward. Not necessarily between the twins, but between the three of them as a whole. Tate had thought that Vergil hadn't noticed Dante's feelings for Kat at first but now, looking back, he'd known from the start. He'd known that Dante would care about the brunette and that he'd help them if she was involved. He'd used Kat, in a way, just to get his twin on his side. Had he used Tate too? Was she nothing more than another part of his plan to get his brother back? She didn't want to believe it. She couldn't allow herself to. But how could she not when she had that horrible instinctual feeling in her stomach that this was all building up to a massive fall after their fight with Mundus?

Elevator doors closing, Vergil handed a gun to the devil hunter. "Here, Dante, take this."

"What is it?" Dante questioned as he glanced down at it. Tate felt like slamming her head against the wall. Was it not obvious that it was a fucking tazer gun? Surely he must have known that it was at least some sort of weapon.

"I took it off a security guard," Vergil told him. "Might look like a tazer in the real world, but it's a powerful demon weapon in Limbo."

Dante took it with a polite, grateful nod. "Thanks," was all he said as the doors opened. Now was the moment that would lead up to the climax of the plan. Vergil laced his fingers through Tate's and pulled her along in the direction of Mundus' chambers. How they expected to get in was beyond her at this point but she trusted Vergil. It was eerily silent in this part of the building and Tate was on edge. She half-expected Mundus to step in front of them or drag her back from behind. They ran up a few flights of stairs to floor 159 and approached the chambers of the demon king.


	12. Chapter 12

Tate and Vergil waited patiently for Dante to arrive. As they waited for him, the blonde pondered over the past few days. About how quickly everything had gone by. Everything had changed so drastically in just a manner of days and it felt like the end of an era was approaching. She still wasn't sure of what would happen after this and her instincts told her that it wasn't going to be something good but she couldn't exactly voice her concerns to Vergil now, could she?

"We should talk before he gets here," the white-haired male murmured to her. Tate blinked as she looked up at him. Shit, he seemed serious about this. It had to be of great importance to him if he wanted to talk about it before going up against Mundus.

"What is it?" she asked. He pulled her close and rested his forehead against hers. This wasn't what she was expecting and she didn't know if she liked this or not. Vergil wouldn't admit it, but he'd changed in the little amount of time that Dante had been with them. He was so open and acted a little more human than he had before.

"There's a very real possibility that we could die in there. If you don't do it, then I will," he muttered. Tate's heart raced in her chest, confusion swarming in her head. Was this for real? Was it some joke that she wasn't catching onto?

"Do… what?" she squeaked. Vergil chuckled as he removed a glove to tenderly caress her cheek with his bare skin. The gentleness of it all felt so out of character and unlike him, especially taking into consideration the way he'd been when they'd first met. He'd gone from 'hide your emotions and channel them into anger' to 'I don't want to lose you' in a very short space of time. She hoped to god that he was being sincere and not messing with her head for the sake of progress.

"Do this," he whispered as he leaned in a little. Tate's hands shakily came up to rest on his biceps, her fingers digging into the fabric of his coat. Their breaths mingles as neither of them dared to move, too afraid of somehow ruining the moment. Vergil's lips very briefly skimmed against hers and she gasped in shock. It wasn't a passionate kiss or one that took her breath away. There were no fireworks or a feeling of absolute completion and satisfaction. It was short and sweet and reflected how he felt about displaying this sort of affection. It was reserved and she understood that he wanted to wait until this was all over to kiss her properly. She wasn't complaining or protesting. In fact, she was glad that he wanted to wait. It would make it that much more significant when it finally did happen.

Dante eventually arrived, clearing his throat. The two of them broke apart, Tate blushing deeply whilst Vergil seemed to brush it off and act normal. Asshole.

"You made it. We make quite the team," the white-haired male spoke to his brother. Tate rubbed the back of her neck and looked around. She glanced back at the twins and cracked her knuckles.

"I'm stronger," Dante smirked slightly. Tate quirked a brow as they bickered back and forth like kids.

"I'm smarter."

"I'm better looking."

"Oh my God, please you two," she groaned in exasperation. Of all the times they chose to be kids, did they have to choose now? Although she didn't really have room to talk seeing as she and Vergil had just kinda kissed and this wasn't the time or place to be doing that sort of thing.

"Mundus is behind the vault door. Let's not keep him waiting," Vergil informed them as he glanced around the corner. The three of them moved out and, for a moment, everything was serious once again. That was until Vergil decided to chime in again.

"…And I've got a bigger dick."

Men. Why were men obsessed with penis size? Was it like a dominance thing? Did the leader of the pack have the biggest dick? Did they have to measure them out to determine their place in the world? Okay, this definitely was NOT the time to be thinking about men measuring their manhoods to determine who the top dog was. As soon as they approached, Tate felt Vergil hold her back.

"What's happening?" Dante questioned from Limbo. Vergil ran forwards, taking the blonde with him.

"They must know we're coming," he responded as they went, Tate pulling her arm free so she could move by herself. Obviously something must have happened in Limbo that was stopping them from continuing onwards towards their final goal.

"Just as Kat predicted," the devil hunter murmured. "So, what do we have to do here again?" The white-haired male stopped in front of a control panel and started pressing keys whilst Tate watched, not knowing what she was supposed to do to help out.

"Kick-start the backup generators in Limbo to overload the system so I can hijack the quantum encryption algorithms," Vergil instructed his twin and the two of them set to work. In the mean time, Tate took a look around. This part of the building looked just as normal as it had been everywhere else. There was really no noticeable difference between here and any average building that she could come up with. Waiting for the twins to finish doing their thing, Tate rubbed her upper arms and leaned against the wall beside Vergil. He was deep in concentration as he worked, eyes trained only on the screen in front of him. If Vergil died today, this was how she'd remember him; always focussed on his work in order to achieve the dream they'd been working towards. Phineas' question about who would take over once Mundus was killed drifted to the forefront of her mind. Limbo would be in complete anarchy and disarray if they killed Mundus, meaning that there would be no hierarchy or order of things in that world anymore. The demons would fight over who the knew king or queen would be which would likely create problems. The demon problem would be far from over when all this came to a head in the end.

Dante finally returned after switching on the generators and Tate kicked off from the wall. She noticed Vergil cast a passing glance over her and smiled weakly. He didn't respond other than to nod and then go back to his work.

"All done,' the brunet called to them. The corners of Vergil's lips tilted upwards.

"Great. Here we go… Okay, listen up, to pop this beast open, you will need to line up the four conduits with their corresponding servers. Did you get that?" he informed Dante, who just nodded.

"Line up all four," the brunet parroted, I got it. "Where did you learn to do all that?"

Vergil's brows furrowed slightly as he bit his lip. "What?"

"That computer stuff."

"Hacking? Taught myself as a kid. I guess it gave me a sense of control."

"Control? We never had that did we?"

"No. I always felt that something was amiss, hidden from me."

'So did I. It's like a burning feeling inside.'

Tate didn't really give much thought to their pasts other than that they never got to grow up knowing their parents love or having them around to show them the way in life. They didn't even have each other to build up that only twins had. If they could go back and change it all, would they?

"Exactly," Vergil spoke to the devil hunter, "but I knew that if you peeled back the layers of bullshit, the truth would eventually out. Guess I channelled that energy into hacking - and you? How'd you find release?" Dante's signature smirk graced his features.

"Killing demons and getting laid… but that computer stuff sounds good too." Oh. Well then. This conversation just got a little too in depth for Tate's liking. It wasn't that she was completely freaked out by the topic of sex; she just found it awkward to be talking about it with Vergil's brother.

Once everything was set, the doors opened and Vergil gestured for Tate to follow. They approached Dante as the white-haired male drew his sword, staring down the expanse of the corridor.

"You know what you have to do - you lure him out, I close the Hell Gate with the Yamato. Then we go in for the kill," he told the brunet. Dante shifted from one foot to the other.

"Any ideas how I draw him out?" he questioned. Tate knew just the thing that would work.

'We killed his unborn child. That's bound to get him rabid enough to leave the Hell Gate," she suggested as her arms folded over her chest. Shed found that, since waking up after the trade, she had no feelings regarding the killing of Mundus heir or Lilith. Sure, it wasn't a positive experience, but it was her idea and it had to be done. It had gotten him to lash out which had exhausted his power somewhat and made him weak enough to be attacked now.

"Got it," Dante confirmed before going to leave.

"But -" Vergil stopped him, "do not try and kill him. He is immortal until I shut down the Hell Gate." The brunet licked his lips.

"Right."

"This is it, Dante. We all have to put our lives in each other's hands, completely, without hesitation," their leader told his twin. Dante looked him straight in the eye and Tate loosely took hold of his hand.

"We're in this til the end, just as we promised," she whispered softly. The brunet left soon after and made his way down the corridor towards where Mundus resided.

Tate and Vergil hid behind the corner where they stood, peeking out to watch what was going on between Dante and Mundus. Tate couldn't make out what was being said but Vergil seemed to be able to. He took hold of her wrist and his thumb absentmindedly ran over her pulse point. Despite how much danger they were in and what they were risking, it allowed her to remain calm as she waited patiently for Dante to get the demon king away from the Hell Gate. Time ticked by bit by bit, second by second, and the blonde could tell that Vergil was becoming impatient. They needed Mundus to get away from there as soon as possible so that they could close the Hell Gate and finally eradicate Mundus once and for all.

"Come on, Dante… Get him pissed!" the white-haired man hissed as he tightened his grip on the Yamato. Tate rubbed his shoulder and he leaned into the touch slightly, easing up a tad.

Suddenly, Tate gasped as Dante was sent flying straight past them. Small chunks of the floor were tossed up as Dante landed on his front, trying to get up with a groan. The brunet glanced at them both for a moment and then he was gone as Mundus tackled him. They both smashed through the window and Tate placed a hand over her own mouth so she wouldn't scream or cry out and attract Mundus attention.

"Come on," Vergil encouraged, "we need to get to the Hell Gate. Now." They both jumped up from where they were sat and ran through the corridor to the Hell Gate. Vergil unsheathed Yamato fully and thrust the sword towards the Hell Gate. A blinding, bright blue light emanated from the hilt as the gate finally shut down. It was like a shock wave was sent through the Earth at that moment with the tower as the epicentre. The blonde ran over to the window to see what was happening and her eyes widened at the sight of Limbo and the human world joining and mixing together. Demons appeared everywhere and ran riot through the city.

"Shit…" she whispered. Vergil grabbed her hand and made her turn to face him.

"We can worry about that later. For now, we need to go and help Dante before Mundus kills him," he spoke in a rush.

Tate nodded and ripped off her jacket, her wings tearing through the back of her shirt. She made Vergil cling onto her as she took off and flew as quickly as she could threw the window and down towards Mundus and Dante. The blonde gritted her teeth and yelled as she dropped Vergil where he needed to go. Watching him force his Yamato through his back and out his stomach, she landed in a crouch and allowed strands of her hair to fall in front of her face.

"Leave my brother alone," Vergil sneered as he withdrew the blade and the demon king took a step back. He staggered as Tate stormed over to him and slammed her foot into his groin.

"That's for killing my girlfriend and taking her away from me, you demon piece of shit," she spat as he keeled over in pain. Blood poured from his stomach as he looked up at the three of them. Dante pushed Mundus over the edge of the building and they watched as the demon king's body soared down towards the ground. The devil hunter spat over the edge of the building and the globule of saliva landed on the face of the scum.

"You okay, Dante?" Vergil asked his twin. The devil hunter nodded and turned back to them.

"You took your time," he muttered. Tate rolled her eyes and felt her wings flutter ever so slightly.

"You're welcome," she replied sarcastically.

A loud, crunching and crushing and the sounds of screaming filled the air. Tate looked out over the edge of the building to see a monstrous demon the height of Mundus' tower, if not bigger, rising and glaring down at the three of them. Shit, this was Mundus' true form? This was the sort of stuff that the deepest, darkest nightmares were built from. Jesus fuck, this wasn't good.

"Three Nephilim? But only two of you are sons of Sparda? I can smell human here too…" the demon king boomed. Tate gulped as she clenched her fists by her side.

"You ready for this?" Vergil aimed his inquiry at the other two. The blonde gave a singular nod to the head and used her wings to hover slightly above the ground.

"We can kill him now?" the devil hunter quizzed.

"The Hell Gate is shut," Tate informed him, not daring to look away from the grotesque monstrosity before them.

"You are the daughter of the Fallen One? You are nothing," Mundus mocked her and she spat in his face, scowling as she flew higher into the air.

"At least I don't have a face that only a mother could love," she jeered and he let out an almighty roar that sent cracks through the very earth.

"You will die!"

Tate saw the eye that was slightly open in the centre of Mundus head and an idea struck her.

"You two! Strike it in the eye to try and weaken it!" she called down to them.

"Thanks!" Dante yelled back and she gave him a thumbs up.

"Keep him busy. I'll try and get the eye exposed," Vergil instructed before running to dodge the swing of Mundus fist. Dante lunged out of the way and Tate soared as high up as she could. "Don't attack him, just stay alive until I expose his eye."

Tate flew in circles up above, watching as Vergil used magic to send illusions of blue swords into Mundus' eye. One by one, they struck and his eye began to open a little bit more. The blonde screamed when Mundus knocked the white-haired man flying, Vergil landing on his back on top of another building. He yelled at his twin to do something and she swooped down towards him whilst Dante activated his devil trigger and attacked the eye. She picked Vergil up and lifted him away from Mundus so that he couldn't hurt him. Once certain that he would be safe, she put him down. Dante was thrown into the wall of another building by Mundus and Tate watched in horror as he began to fall. Vergil jumped up and quickly created a dark portal that he jumped into. A moment later, he caught the brunet and they smashed through a window and into the interior of the building. Thank fuck for that.

"You will not beat me, Half-Breed," Mundus growled at her. Tate turned her attention to him and smirked. She quirked a brow at the sight of Mundus human form showing in the centre of his body. The twins were bound to have noticed that and come up with a plan.

"Oh yeah? Says who? A has-been who can't even kill the sons of Sparda?" she taunted him. Instead of attacking, he chuckled darkly and grabbed her. Tate screeched and writhed as she tried desperately to escape from his clutches.

"Your mother never even told you, did she? She never told you about the other one," he teased. Other one? Other one of what? The other man that she was with? She didn't really see why it mattered who she was with as long as she'd never been with Mundus. Ew.

"I don't need to know about my mothers husbands. That's her business," she replied. Mundus held her up closer to his face.

"She never told you about the other child. The son of the Fallen One." Her heart stopped beating for a moment as she tried to process his words.

"Other… child?" she questioned in confusion. The demon king laughed manically and she wriggled around insanely.

"Yes. You have a brother, child. Another Half-Breed, just like you."


	13. Chapter 13

Mundus dropped Tate and she screamed as she felt herself being sucked in towards Mundus' core. She watched as Vergil got sucked towards it too and grabbed his hand when they were close. Their grips on each other tightened as they wrapped their arms around each other. Cold, demonic hands latched onto them and she didn't need to look to know it was Mundus' human form that was holding them. It looked like this was going to be the end after all.

"I'm sorry, Tate!" the white-haired male yelled over the noise. Tate clung onto him tighter as he turned them and tried to let her go.

"No! Vergil, no, please!" she begged, in denial about what he was going to do. If anyone were to die now, it needed to be her. Dante needed Vergil to help him defeat Mundus and rid their world of his tyranny. This was what he'd been working towards for so long now and she couldn't let him go until they'd both seen the plan through to fruition.

"Let go," Vergil ordered and she shook her head stubbornly. He yelled in frustration when she tightened her grip further, both of them being pulled inside Mundus' core.

The inside of Mundus was… strange. It felt like they were floating in a pink tinted nothingness. She was still clutching onto their leader for dear life and watched his face as his eyes closed. She tried to wake him up but found that she couldn't move. She could only float and feel and see. She observed how at peace he seemed and held her breath. If this was the end, she couldn't think of any other way she'd have it. Sure, they were inside Mundus, but they were in each other's arms and they knew how they felt for one another. At least they had that small piece of reality that would be taken to their graves with them. What would the afterlife be like? Would Vergil be there with her? Was it just like the cliché of the pearly white gates and the fluffy clouds with angels that sang Hallelujah and played their harps? Or would she be alone in an endless void of darkness? The mere thought of it all made her wonder what she was really doing all of this for when she first met Vergil. Why had she even wanted to help his cause? Maybe demons had killed her girlfriend in front of her but she'd not really thought about revenge until the moment he'd mentioned it and offered it to her.

Suddenly, they were both pulled out of the body along with Mundus human form. Vergil awoke and grappled with the body whilst she allowed herself to begin falling towards the ground. The air whipping through her hair was heavenly and reminded her that, by some weird twist of fate, she was given another chance of living. Just before she hit the ground, the blonde extended her wings and made a narrow u-turn so that she was flying upwards and back towards the twins. She watched as the two fought Mundus with everything they had, Vergil still trying to kill the human body whilst Dante shot at the body. At long last, the devil hunter jumped and sliced his sword through Mundus human body. Tate felt light-headed as she watched Mundus crumble and die. Her wings stopped working as she began to fall to the ground. She was too tired to even care anymore, and let herself keep falling until she blacked out.

***

Eyes fluttering. Cool breeze against her face. The crackling of flames and the smell of charred buildings. Something soft and warm encompassing her. No, not something. Someone. It was definitely a person that was holding her. Was it… Vergil? Was Vergil holding her now?

"Keep your eyes closed," an unfamiliar voice murmured. She did as it told her to, nodding a little. Something rough and gnarly brushed against her cheek and she frowned. What was that? Was she in the arms of a demon?

"Why?" she whispered but the voice shushed her.

"You don't know me yet. You can't see me. But know that I'm here. We will find each other soon. I promise you that we'll find each other soon and you'll know everything you need to know," it told her. Now that she listened closely, it sounded like a male voice. They were definitely male but that was all that she could decipher from it.

"When can I open my eyes?" the blonde questioned. She felt herself being placed on what felt like concrete and her eyes began to open a little.

"Good bye for now, sister."

***

Tate's eyes opened suddenly and she gasped. She held a hand to her chest to slow her pounding heartbeat and realised that she was looking up into piercing blue eyes. Eyes that belonged to… Vergil? But why wasn't he fighting Mundus? Why was he here holding her? Did they… win?

"Hey, sleepyhead, you're awake." The blonde turned her head in the direction of the voice and found Dante smiling at her. Vergil helped her to stand, letting her go so that she could find her balance. She found it quickly enough and only stumbled when she tried to take her first step forward. The blonde almost couldn't believe that they'd finally defeated Mundus once and for all. She took in her surroundings, the chaos and destruction around them, and laughed. Giggles bubbled up and out of her mouth as she ran a hand through her hair. At long last, mankind was free from the rule of Mundus. They were no longer being enslaved and manipulated and controlled by that scum. It felt so fucking good to have achieved their goal at long last. Vergil didn't need to hide in the shadows anymore; he could roam freely because there was no Mundus to kill him and there was no Barbas either. There was no Lilith, no Succubus, no spawn of the demon king. There were just normal demons, Nephilim, and humans.

Tate finally cast her gaze over the twins and threw her arms in the as she yelled triumphantly. She could hear Dante chuckle as he hugged her and it felt like the end of an era had come to pass. This was the beginning of a new and better world for mankind. Well, once they disposed of the demons of course; they couldn't rebuild society with demons running amuck.

"We did it," she grinned as they pulled away from each other. Vergil put an arm around her and she felt… safe. This was where her home was now. Tate felt as though justice had finally been served and that she could finally be at peace now that her girlfriend had been avenged. Not only that, but she felt as though she could fully move on now.

"I did it," Dante corrected her and she punched him in the shoulder. The three of them laughed quietly as they looked out over the wreckage of the city. There were no demons to be seen, nor were there any humans, and the rubble seemed to stretch for miles. The humans who had to deal with this were going to have a hard time trying to clear it all up to start with. Maybe she could help them to rebuild the city. After all, there was no need for the Order now that Mundus was dead. It was likely that the organisation would disband and everyone could go back to their normal lives again. But was there a normal now? Was there even any sort of normality to return to after everything that had happened over the past several days?

Over the next few days, Tate learned that there wasn't a normal anymore. Not a normal like the normality mankind used to know at least. Updates on social media had gone from the mundane photographs of food and narcissistic statuses to picture after picture of demons wandering the human realm. Unfortunately, the demons hadnt disappeared with Mundus and that meant that there was more to clean up than just wreckage and rubble. Tate would have been more than happy to go out there and kill the bastards if Vergil hadn't reminded her that they'd see her wings and consider her just as much of a threat as the demons were. It was unfair, and she regularly voiced her displeasure, but she understood the white-haired man's reasons. The only time any of them went out, the four of them would go together and it would just be to outside the small building they were holed up in until everywhere had been rebuilt so they could find homes of their own or a new base of actions. It had become very clear that, whilst they were the only members of the Order left, they would need somewhere to set up a new headquarters. Tate wasn't sure why the Order hadn't been disbanded but she wasn't about to question it. She liked that the four of them already had their own family dynamic.

"What's happening?" Kat asked late one afternoon a week after what had happened. As of yet, nothing had been rebuilt and there was no news on anything being rebuilt either. The four of them stood on a ledge that over looked the rubble, Tate leaning against the fence as she let the cool breeze tease her hair.

"Limbo has collapsed into the real world," Vergil told them. "What was once hidden is now laid bare for all to see. Revolution is in the air." A grin made its way onto Tate's face at the sound of that. Revolution… it felt so free and liberating to know that they no longer had to wither under the rule of Mundus. The blonde glanced at Dante and Kat from the corner of her eye and her chest felt warm at the sight of him holding onto her good arm, her other arm bandaged up and supported by a sling. The psychic looked so full of wonder and intrigue. The sun made her skin look radiant, despite how battered she was.

"I never believed I'd live to see this day," the brunette murmured and Tate flicked her fringe out of her face absentmindedly.

"It's the beginning of the end for the demons. Mankind will be free," Dante spoke. He seemed relieved that it was all over now. Maybe it was because he knew there was nothing to take his brother or Kat away from him now.

Unfortunately, that was where she turned out to be very wrong.

"Yes. Free from the demons, the path is clear for us to rule," Vergil responded. Tate frowned in confusion, trying to figure out if she was correct about what she'd just heard. Did he just say what she thought he did? What was he suggesting?

"What did you just say?" the devil hunter questioned his twin. The blonde turned and looked up at Vergil to see his serious, thoughtful expression. Was he suggesting…

"The path is clear for us to rule."

"…To rule what?" Dante asked. There was a momentary pause and Tate felt that feeling in her stomach again. Her gut instinct. So this was what the aftermath would be, was it?

"This," Vergil answered. "Everything." Tate stood up straight and bit her lip. What the fuck was she supposed to do in this situation? She didn't want to rule over everything. She didn't want to rule over anything in general. Was this what the plan had been the whole time?

"Vergil?" Kat spluttered, clearly outraged by what the white-haired man was suggesting. Dante stood to his full height as he stared down his twin, unimpressed.

"You mean - like Mundus?"

"No… no, we will be nothing like Mundus."

Ah. Good.

"We'll respect our subjects, not enslave them."

"Subjects? Vergil, what the fuck are you talking about?" Tate quizzed as she began to lose her patience with him. Dante moved away and paced over to Vergil so that they could look each other in the eye.

"He means humans," he told them. The blond clenched her fists. After all this time, helping him and supporting him through his schemes and almost dying for him, this was what he really wanted? To rule over humans like Mundus did?

"I thought we were fighting for freedom!" Kat exclaimed. It all started to fall into place then. They had been fighting for freedom, but not the freedom they thought it was. How could Tate have been so stupid? Of course they weren't fighting for mankind.

"It was his freedom we were fighting for. Not yours," Dante finally voiced what the blonde had been thinking. This was never about setting mankind free. This was all about Vergil's freedom and giving him the opportunity to rule over humans so that he could be the one in charge of the new world.

Vergil stepped closer to Dante. "Don't be so simplistic. Humans are frail. They are like children. They need protection. Not just from others, but from themselves! We - the three of us - have saved them." Tate ran a hand through her hair and bit her lip. She turned away from the white-haired man as she tried to remain emotionless. He did have a point in regards to humanity needing to be protected.

"The three of us saved them?" Dante questioned, incredulous. Tate ran a hand down her face. She didn't want to listen anymore but she had to if she were going to convince Vergil to stop.

"Who else?"

"A human." Dante pointed to Kat, Vergil sparing her a brief glance before returning his attention to his twin.

"Kat was useful but-"

"Useful?" the psychic interrupted their leader. Tate could see and hear how hurt she was by that one statement. Why was he acting so cold all of a sudden? Before, he looked like he genuinely cared about Kat's wellbeing and that she survived. Had that all been a lie? Had he pretended to care about Tate too? She wouldn't have been surprised right about now if that turned out to be true.

'Kat saved my life!" Dante pointed out, almost shouting. "Kat held out under torture to keep your existence a secret! Kat led us through the tower to Mundus lair! We would have failed twenty times over if it weren't for her!" The blonde didn't realise she was close to crying in anger until she felt her eyes stinging.

"Listen! If you can't see the chaos the humans will cause, if you don't want the responsibility of protecting them, then stand aside. I will rule with Tate. Alone," the white-haired male responded. Tate blinked as he put an arm around her. She shrugged him off and moved away from him with her arms folded over her chest, unamused.

"We didn't help you destroy Mundus so you could take his place! I can't let you do this, Vergil!"

"And I cant let you stop me, brother. Stand aside."

Tate felt the tension building in the atmosphere and spread her wings, protecting Kat as her instincts began to take control of her actions.

"Vergil, please-"

"Stay out of this!" Vergil yelled at Tate when she tried to intervene. In the past two years that she had known him and grown to care for him as deeply as she did, she had never known him to be this angry and fired up. Even during the times he got pissed off over losing sight of Dante on his radar he hadn't been this mad.

Tate backed up a little, quietly telling Kat to hide behind the trashcan until all of this was over. She focussed, preparing in case she'd need to jump in and stop them. For now, she was only relying on her instincts and this time they were telling her to stay out of it until it was safe to intervene. Dante and Vergil moved a small distance away, drawing their weapons as they prepared to fight. The feeling in Tate's stomach worsened as the realisation hit her that one of them could die in this fight. The twins lunged at each other and sparks flew as their blades collided.

It was like a savage dance as the brothers fought. They would lunge and parry each other's attacks flawlessly, occasionally landing hits. Vergil would teleport to different places on the battlefield and send illusion swords towards the brunet and Dante would dodge and attack with his own sword. The sky darkened above them as more sparks flew and the fighting became more heated and brutal. Tate watched helplessly as lightning began to crackle and flash around the twins during their battle. The force of their blows were so strong that small gusts of wind were created and the blonde found it difficult not to fly back from the sheer force and velocity of it.

Suddenly, it was as if Vergil split in two. She recognised this. She'd only seen it once before but she recognised it well. This was Vergil's devil trigger. Their battle intensified and Tate felt the pull of her instincts. They were clearly telling her to help someone, to help 'him', but she didn't know who she was supposed to help. If she jumped in now, and gave in to her instincts, would she naturally defend who her subconscious wanted her to protect? The thought of fighting against any of them terrified her but she was stronger now. Whilst she'd never stand a chance against either of the brothers, she knew that she'd have a small chance of at least holding out until they tired themselves out and stopped fighting. The small whimpers of terror emanating from Kat behind her made her want to jump in and listen to her instincts but she refused to act on them. She wasn't going to allow herself to get so involved with this but it was exceedingly difficult not to do it. Tate watched Dante activate his devil trigger too and she took a step forward. The speed of their blows increased dramatically as both twins went all out to try and best each other. She allowed her wings to shrink and retract and took another step towards the battle. The blonde felt her instincts drawing her to them, as if she were a moth attracted to light, and she growled quietly. Another gust of wind blew her back and she dug her heels into the gravel.

Suddenly, it was like Tate's world started to crumble. Dante's sword plunged into Vergil's chest, the white-haired man dropping his Yamato as he grunted and stared down at the blade with gritted teeth. The blonde's strength slowly left her as she stumbled towards the brothers. Her eyes were welling with tears as the sword was plunged in deeper. Vergil tried to push the sword out but Dante wouldn't budge and soon the white-haired man was being forced onto his knees. He fell onto his back and the devil hunter smirked. He got down on one knee and pushed down on the hilt to make the blade go in even further. Vergil's scream of agonising pain shook her from her state as she rushed forward and fell into a crouch beside their fallen leader. The white-haired man's eyes widened as the sword was almost all the way in. She grabbed his hand and felt him shaking. Her chest ached painfully as her other hand reached out to touch his face delicately.

"Dante… Dante, don't kill him. Please," she heard Kat beg. Tate didn't dare look away from Vergil as his head turned so he could look at her. A small trickle of blood trailed down the side of his face from the corner of his mouth and she bit her lip. He was becoming weaker as time went on but Tate refused to believe that he was going to die here. Not now. Not like this.

"Vergil… I'm sorry that I never told you," she whispered, lowering her head so that only he could hear her. A quiet, rasp of a chuckle left his lips.

"I'm sorry too," he replied in a quiet murmur. "It's okay to tell you now."

Tate released his hand and cupped both cheeks. "Love you, Verge," she sniffled. She saw him smile softly and their lips brushed in a kiss. The kiss was different this time. It was still soft, but more meaningful and soulful. They both knew that he could die right here and now and Tate only wished that she'd told him sooner and used the right words to do so.

"I am begging you. Please stop. For me," Kat continued to plead for Dante. A moment later, the winds and the lightning stopped as he removed the sword. Vergil gulped down air, gasping as he lay on the ground in exhaustion. The brunet offered a hand and Vergil shakily took it before being pulled up. As their hands dropped, Dante finally spoke.

"The world is under my protection now."

Vergil clutched at his own chest and Tate saw rivulets of blood slipping between his fingers. He may not have been dead but he was dying and there was nothing either of them could do to stop it. She honestly didn't know what to do anymore.

"You've chosen the wrong side. You're not human, Dante, and you never will be," the white-haired man warned. They said nothing more as Vergil stooped to pick up his Yamato and Tate rested a hand on his shoulder.

"I think… you should go. Without me," she murmured with tears in her eyes. Vergil reached up and wiped the tears away with a gloved finger and smiled sadly. Pressing his lips to her forehead, he caressed her hair for a final time.

"I'll come back for you. Will you wait?" he questioned. She didn't think twice before answering.

"Yes."

Vergil nodded and moved away to open up a portal with his katana, the outside of it glowing blue. He turned to face them once more as he stood by the portal.

"I loved you, brother…" he whispered. Dante merely glared at him, no verbal response as he held an arm in front of Kat protectively. His eyes came to rest on Tate and she felt a fat tear roll down her cheek. Finally, the words came to mind that she wanted to say.

"I can't lose you, Vergil."

He chuckled softly, remembering the last time they'd said that to each other. Before their final battle with Mundus. It felt so long ago now. "I can't lose you either." He stepped through the portal and it closed up behind him.

As soon as Vergil was gone, Tate cried silently and stared at the spot where he'd stood just a moment ago.

"I don't know who I am anymore," Dante murmured. The blonde turned to glance at him and Kat cupped his face as she looked into his eyes.

"I know exactly who you are… You are Dante. Nothing more and nothing less," she told him, her tone certain. As the three of them gazed out over the wasteland that was once a city, Tate was certain of only one thing.

Vergil was gone.


End file.
